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Tämä viikko on ollut rauhallisempi kuin viime viikko, joten nukun paremmin.

Tämä viikko on ollut rauhallisempi kuin viime viikko, joten nukun paremmin.
This week has been calmer than last week, so I sleep better.

Breakdown of Tämä viikko on ollut rauhallisempi kuin viime viikko, joten nukun paremmin.

minä
I
olla
to be
tämä
this
joten
so
viime
last
kuin
than
paremmin
better
nukkua
to sleep
rauhallinen
calm
viikko
week
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Questions & Answers about Tämä viikko on ollut rauhallisempi kuin viime viikko, joten nukun paremmin.

Why does it say on ollut instead of just oli?

On ollut is the Finnish present perfect (literally has been):

  • on = is/has (3rd person singular of olla)
  • ollut = been (past participle)

You use on ollut when the time period is still relevant or “connected to now” (like this week which is ongoing or just finished very recently).
Oli (was) is more like a finished, detached past: This week was calmer (often implies the week is over and you’re just narrating).

What exactly is ollut grammatically?

Ollut is the past participle of olla (to be). Finnish forms the perfect tense with:
olla (conjugated) + past participle
So: on ollut = has been.

Why is it Tämä viikko and not Tällä viikolla?

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things:

  • Tämä viikko on ollut rauhallisempi... = This week has been calmer... (the week itself is the subject)
  • Tällä viikolla on ollut rauhallisempaa... = This week (during this week) it has been calmer... (focus on time frame, often more “general situation”)

Here the sentence treats viikko as the grammatical subject, so it stays in the nominative: tämä viikko.

Why does Finnish repeat viikko: ...kuin viime viikko?

Finnish often repeats the noun in comparisons for clarity and naturalness:
rauhallisempi kuin viime viikko = calmer than last week (was)

In English you can drop the repeated word (than last week), but Finnish commonly keeps it.

Should it be kuin viime viikolla instead of kuin viime viikko?

Both can be correct, depending on what you’re comparing:

  • Tämä viikko on ollut rauhallisempi kuin viime viikko.
    You compare week vs week (both in nominative, viikko as the subject).

  • Tällä viikolla on ollut rauhallisempaa kuin viime viikolla.
    You compare during this week vs during last week (adessive -lla).

Because the sentence begins with Tämä viikko, the matching comparison kuin viime viikko fits well.

What makes rauhallisempi a comparative, and how is it formed?

The comparative ending is -mpi / -mpi- (with vowel harmony variants):
rauhallinen (calm) → rauhallisempi (calmer)

A common pattern is:
adjective + -mpi (often with an extra -e- in the comparative stem, as here: rauhallise- + mpi).

Why is it kuin for “than”? Can Finnish also use something else?

Kuin is the most common word for than in comparisons:
rauhallisempi kuin... = calmer than...

Finnish can also use kun in some spoken or informal contexts, but kuin is the standard choice in this kind of sentence.

Why does it say joten and not niin or koska?

They express different logical links:

  • joten = so / therefore (result)
    This week has been calmer, *so I sleep better.*

  • koska = because (reason)
    I sleep better *because this week has been calmer.* (reversed logic)

  • niin can mean so in some structures, but joten is a very clear “therefore” connector between two full clauses.

Is the comma before joten necessary?

Yes, it’s standard to use a comma when joten links two independent clauses:

  • Tämä viikko on ollut rauhallisempi kuin viime viikko, joten nukun paremmin.

Both sides could stand as sentences, so the comma is natural and expected.

Why is nukun in the present tense? Wouldn’t “I have slept” be more literal?

Finnish present tense often covers what English expresses as a current general result or habitual outcome:

  • joten nukun paremmin = so I sleep better (now / these days / as a result)

If you wanted “I have slept better (already)”, you’d likely use the perfect:

  • joten olen nukkunut paremmin = so I have slept better

But the present works well for “as a consequence, my sleep is better.”

Why isn’t minä (“I”) included before nukun?

Finnish usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows the person:

  • nukun = I sleep (1st person singular is clear)

You can add minä for emphasis or contrast:

  • ...joten minä nukun paremmin = ...so I (specifically) sleep better.
Why is paremmin used instead of an adjective form like parempi?

paremmin is the comparative adverb of hyvin (well):

  • hyvin = well
  • paremmin = better (in a way/manner)

Here it modifies the verb nukun (I sleep), so an adverb is needed:

  • sleep better → nukun paremmin

parempi is an adjective (better as in a better week, a better book):

  • parempi viikko = a better week (adjective + noun)