The complement
1. What is it?
A complement is a part of a sentence, that tells what, or what kind, the subject is or isn't. The complement can be either a noun or an adjective. The sentence verb is always "olla."
| Finnish | English |
| Ihminen on erehtyväinen. | A person is fallible. |
| Hän ei ole enää kansanedustaja. | He isn't a member of parliament anymore. |
| Olut oli lämmintä. | The beer was warm. |
| Lukeminen on hauskaa. | Reading is fun. |
| Ovatko nuo turistit kiinalaisia? | Are those tourists Chinese? |
| Hänen kätensä ovat sirot. | Her hands are graceful. |
| Suomalaiset ovat hiljaisia. | Finns are quiet. |
2. What form is it in?
2.1 If the subject is a concrete thing and singular, the complement is in the singular nominative.
| Finnish | English |
| Englannin parlamentti on kaksihuoneinen. | The English parliament is two-roomed. |
| Ohjelma ei ole valmis. | The program is not finished. |
| Elokuva oli sekava. | The movie was confusing. |
| Päivä ei ollut aurinkoinen. | The day wasn't sunny. |
2.2 When the subject is a plural word (pair or entity, which is expressed always or almost always in plural) or a body part that comes in a pair, the complement is in the plural nominative.
| Finnish | English |
| Mäyräkoiran jalat ovat lyhyet. | A dachshund's legs are short. |
| Hänen kyntensä olivat pitkät. | Her nails were long. |
| Sinun hampaasi ovat loistavan valkoiset. | Your teeth are wonderfully white. |
| Katjan lakkiaiset olivat vauhdikkaat. | Katja's graduation was brisk. |
| Näyttelyn avajaiset olivat juhlalliset. | The exhibition's opening was grand. |
| Sukat ovat kuluneet. | The socks are worn-down. |
2.3 If the plural word doesn't mean one pair or entity, the complement is in the plural partitive.
| Finnish | English |
| Kengät ovat kalliita. | Shoes are expensive (in general). |
| Kengät ovat kalliit. | The shoes are expensive (a specific pair of shoes). |
| Nämä kengät ovat italialaisia. | These shoes are Italian (a brand of shoes). |
| Nämä kengät ovat italialaiset. | These shoes are Italian (a specific pair of shoes). |
| Valokuvat olivat onnistuneita. | The pictures were successful. |
| Tauot olivat liian lyhyitä. | The breaks were too short. |
| Te olette niin nuoria. | You (plural) are so young. |
| He eivät ole suomalaisia. | They aren't Finns. |
| Kaikki olivat uusia opiskelijoita. | Everyone was a new student. |
| Nuo naiset ovat tulkkeja. | Those women are interpreters. |
2.4 When the subject is mass noun or an abstract noun, the complement is in the singular partitive.
| Finnish | English |
| Ydinjäte on vaarallista. | Nuclear waste is dangerous. |
| Se on radioaktiivista. | It's radioactive. |
| Tupakointi on epäterveellistä. | Smoking is unhealthy. |
| Vaatteiden silittäminen on ikävää. | The ironing of clothes is unpleasant. |
| Veneily on ihanaa. | Boating is lovely. |
| Onko tämä pusero silkkiä? | Is this sweater made of silk? |
| Ei, tämä pusero on puuvillaa. | No, this sweater is made of cotton. |
| Onko tämä pusero silkkiä? | Is this sweater made of silk? |
3. Examples
| Vesi on kylmää. Sinun kätesi on kylmä. Sinun kätesi ovat kylmät. Minun käteni eivät ole kylmät. |
Explanation:
Vesi on kylmää -> the complement has to be partitive, because the subject is a mass noun.
Sinun kätesi on kylmä -> the complement is in the nominative singular, because the subject is a concrete thing, and singular.
Sinun kätesi ovat kylmät -> the complement is in the plural nominative, because the subject is a plural word, and a bodypart that comes in a pair.
Minun kätesi eivät ole kylmät -> Making this sentence negative doesn't make the complement become partitive because hands always come in pairs!
| Related grammar |
| The partitive : The partitive plural : The genitive |