Johtaja on konttorissa.

The manager is in the office.

Breakdown of Johtaja on konttorissa.

• olla: to be
• -ssa: in
• johtaja: the manager
• konttori: the office

Questions & Answers about Johtaja on konttorissa.

Why is there no word for “the” in this Finnish sentence?

Finnish has no articles at all – there is no direct equivalent of “a/an” or “the”.

• Johtaja on konttorissa. can mean:
  • The manager is in the office.
  • A manager is in the office.

Whether it’s understood as a or the comes only from context, not from any specific word in the sentence.

How do we know that johtaja means “manager” here and not “leader” or “director”?

The word johtaja is quite general and can mean:

• manager
• director
• leader
• sometimes even boss

The exact English translation depends on context:

• In a company context, johtaja is often manager or director.
• In a political or group context, it might be leader.

In simple beginner examples like Johtaja on konttorissa., “The manager is in the office” is a natural default translation, but Finnish itself doesn’t force one single English word.

What is the basic dictionary form of konttorissa, and how is this form built?

The dictionary (basic) form is konttori meaning “office”.

• konttori = office (nominative, basic form)
• konttori- = stem
• -ssa = inessive case ending meaning “in / inside”

So:

konttori → konttori + ssa → konttorissa = in the office

Why does konttori take the ending -ssa and not -ssä?

The choice between -ssa and -ssä follows vowel harmony:

• If the word has any back vowels (a, o, u), you use -ssa.
• If it has only front vowels (ä, ö, y) (and neutral ones i, e), you use -ssä.

konttori contains o (a back vowel), so it belongs to the back vowel group:

• konttori → konttorissa (in the office)
• Compare: kylä → kylässä (in the village), where ä is a front vowel.

What exactly does the ending -ssa mean?

The ending -ssa / -ssä is the inessive case, which mostly corresponds to English “in”:

• talossa = in the house
• kaupungissa = in the city
• konttorissa = in the office

It usually implies being inside something.

Could we also say “Johtaja on konttorilla”? What’s the difference from konttorissa?

Yes, you can say both, with a nuance difference:

• Johtaja on konttorissa.

  • Literally “The manager is in the office (inside the room/building).”
  • Focus on the physical interior space.

• Johtaja on konttorilla.

  • Literally “The manager is at the office.”
  • Uses -lla (adessive), often meaning at someone’s workplace / at that location in general, not necessarily emphasizing the inside of a room.

In practice, both are common, and in many everyday contexts they may translate the same in English (“The manager is at the office”), but -ssa is more “inside”, -lla more “at (as a place)”.

When do we use -ssa and when -lla for locations in general?

Very roughly:

• -ssa / -ssä (inessive) = in / inside

  • autossa = in the car
  • kirjastossa = in the library

• -lla / -llä (adessive) = on / at

  • pöydällä = on the table
  • asemalla = at the station
  • often used for places of work or activity:
    
    • töissä / työssä = at work
    • konttorilla = at the office

There are many conventional uses, but “in vs. on/at” is a good starting rule.

Is the word order Johtaja on konttorissa fixed, or can it change?

Word order is relatively flexible. Two common options:

1. Johtaja on konttorissa.

   • Neutral: “The manager is in the office.”
   • The topic is johtaja (what about the manager? He/she is in the office).

2. Konttorissa on johtaja.

   • Often closer to “There is a manager in the office.” or
     “In the office there is a manager.”
   • The focus is on what is in the office, not on the manager as a known person.

So changing the order mainly changes emphasis and information structure, not grammar.

What is the verb on, and how is it conjugated?

on is the 3rd person singular of the verb olla = “to be”.

Present tense forms of olla:

• minä olen = I am
• sinä olet = you (sg) are
• hän on = he/she is
• me olemme = we are
• te olette = you (pl / formal) are
• he ovat = they are

So in Johtaja on konttorissa., on means “is”.

How would you say “The managers are in the office” in Finnish?

Two common versions, depending on what you mean:

1. Several managers, one office:

   • Johtajat ovat konttorissa.
     = “The managers are in the (same) office.”

2. Several managers in several offices:

   • Johtajat ovat konttoreissa.
     = “The managers are in (the) offices.”

Changes you see:

• johtaja → johtajat (plural subject)
• on → ovat (plural verb)
• optionally konttori → konttoreissa (plural “in the offices”)

How do you say “The manager is not in the office” in Finnish?

Use the negative verb plus the main verb in a special form:

• Johtaja ei ole konttorissa.
  
  • ei = negative verb (3rd person singular)
  • ole = negative form of olla
  • altogether: “is not”

So: > Johtaja on konttorissa. = The manager is in the office.
> Johtaja ei ole konttorissa. = The manager is not in the office.

Is there any difference between konttori and toimisto, both often translated as “office”?

Both can mean “office”, but usage and nuance differ slightly:

• konttori

  • Traditionally more like office premises / the office building or rooms, often with a slightly old-fashioned or institutional feel (e.g. postikonttori = post office).

• toimisto

  • More often used for an office as an organization or administrative unit:
    • matkatoimisto = travel agency/office
    • lakitoimisto = law office
  • But it can also mean simply office (room/place).

In a simple sentence for learners, both Johtaja on konttorissa and Johtaja on toimistossa could be translated “The manager is in the office.”

Why are johtaja and konttori not capitalized, even though “Manager” or “Office” might be in some English names?

Finnish capitalization is simpler than English:

• You capitalize:

  • The first word of a sentence.
  • Proper names (people, places, companies, etc.).

• You do not normally capitalize:

  • Job titles (johtaja, opettaja = teacher, lääkäri = doctor)
  • Common nouns for places (konttori, koulu = school, kauppa = shop)

So in Johtaja on konttorissa., Johtaja is capitalized only because it is the first word of the sentence, not because it’s a title.

How is johtaja pronounced, and what does the -ja ending mean?

Pronunciation (rough guide in English terms):

• johtaja ≈ YOH-tah-yah
  
  • j like English y in yes
  • Stress is always on the first syllable: JOH-ta-ya

The ending -ja/-jä often forms a person who does X from a verb:

• johtaa = to lead → johtaja = leader / manager
• opettaa = to teach → opettaja = teacher
• soittaa = to play (an instrument) → soittaja = player (musician)

So johtaja is literally “a person who leads”.