ovatko

Ovatko is a Finnish word that combines the present tense plural form of the verb olla, meaning “to be” (ovat), with the yes–no question particle -ko/-kö. It is used to form yes–no questions in which the speaker asks for confirmation about a statement or situation involving a plural subject.

The question particle -ko/-kö attaches to the word directly before it. In practice, this is most often the finite verb form, but it can also attach to other content words when the question concerns them. The exact form of the particle follows Finnish vowel harmony, and the usual written form is -ko (as in ovatko). The variant -kö exists and is used in some forms depending on the preceding word’s vowels.

Examples include: Ovatko he täällä? (Are they here?) Oletko sinä valmis? (Are you ready?) Huomennaanko se tapahtuu? (Will it happen tomorrow?) Finnish also uses other question words, such as mikä, kuka, missä, miksi, for open-ended questions; the -ko/-kö suffix is specifically for yes–no questions.

Usage notes: -ko/-kö marks a yes–no question and typically appears on the verb or another key word in the clause. It is not used to form open-ended questions, which instead rely on interrogatives. In written Finnish, a question mark ends the sentence; in speech, the intonation generally rises toward the end. The form ovatko is a common example of how the particle functions in everyday Finnish.