--- title: "ei oo" book_form: "ei ole" translation: "There isn't. It isn't. We don't have it." type: "word" category: "puhekieli" url: "https://finnishirl.com/words/ei-oo" canonical: "https://finnishirl.com/words/ei-oo" published: "2026-10-01" updated: "2026-10-01" author: "Andrey the Nomad" site: "Finnish IRL" license: "https://finnishirl.com/terms#ip" --- # ei oo URL: https://finnishirl.com/words/ei-oo Book form (kirjakieli): ei ole Translation: There isn't. It isn't. We don't have it. Pronunciation: /ei oː/ Category: puhekieli Archetypes: spoken, survival Region: Finland Register: neutral spoken Finnish Literal meaning: "Is not" - the negative verb plus the bare stem of olla. Tone and safety: Entirely safe. Hearing it correctly matters more than saying it. Published: 2026-10-01 Quick answer: - Ei oo is the spoken form of ei ole - "there isn't", "it isn't", or in a shop, "we don't have it". - The l drops from ole the same way it drops from olen and olet, giving oo, oon and oot. - On its own it is a complete answer to a question, and it is not curt. What it means: - Ei oo is the negative of on. Because olla covers both "to be" and, with the adessive, "to have", this one short phrase covers a lot of ground: there isn't any, it's not, we don't have it, he's not here. - In a shop it is the sentence that ends the conversation, and it usually arrives with nothing else attached. Book form vs spoken form: - The written form is ei ole. Speech gives you ei oo, on the same pattern that produces oon and oot. - In ordinary speech the negative verb often stops agreeing, so me ei oo appears where writing would have me emme ole. That is documented, not an error. How Finns use it: - As a whole answer. Onks teillä tätä? - Ei oo. That is complete on its own; see ei for why Finnish answers with the verb. - About availability, presence and possession: ei oo enää, "there's none left"; se ei oo täällä, "he isn't here"; mulla ei oo, "I don't have any". - As part of a longer refusal with a reason attached, which is how Finnish softens a negative - ei oo, mut huomenna tulee lisää. Tone and safety: - No risk in using it. The thing worth knowing is on the receiving end: a bare ei oo with no apology, no alternative offered and no softening is not rudeness. Finnish service language is brief, and brevity is not coldness. - If you need more than the flat answer, ask - milloin tulee lisää, "when will there be more". You will get a real answer. Common mistake: - Waiting for an apology or an alternative that is not coming, and reading its absence as hostility. - Saying ei on. The order is fixed: the negative verb comes first, and the main verb follows in its bare form. - Expecting ei ole in speech and not catching ei oo, which sounds like a single short word. Examples: - - Onks teillä tätä? - Ei oo. - "Do you have this?" "We don't." (written: - Onko teillä tätä? - Ei ole.) - Mulla ei oo rahaa mukana. - I don't have any money on me. (written: Minulla ei ole rahaa mukana.) - Ei oo enää jäljellä. - There's none left. (written: Ei ole enää jäljellä.) Mini dialogue: A: Onks teillä tätä isompana? B: Ei oo. A: Tuleeks lisää? B: Ensi viikolla. A: Kiitos. FAQ: Q: What does ei oo mean? A: There isn't, it isn't, or we don't have it. It is the spoken form of ei ole. Q: Why is it ei oo and not ei ole? A: The l drops out of olla's forms in speech - ole becomes oo, olen becomes oon, olet becomes oot. Q: Is a bare ei oo rude? A: No. Finnish service language is brief, and a short answer with no apology attached is normal rather than cold. Q: How do I say I don't have it in Finnish? A: Mulla ei oo - literally "at me there isn't", since Finnish has no verb for have. Q: Does this come up in the YKI test? A: Constantly, in the listening section, which is recorded in ordinary spoken Finnish rather than in textbook forms. Recognising ei oo, emmä oo and me ei oo is comprehension work, and it is the part courses drill least. Q: Can I say ei on? A: No. The negative verb comes first and the main verb follows in its bare form: ei oo, en oo, me ei oo. Note the plural - emme oo would mix a written negative verb with a spoken main verb. Related words: oon, onks, mulla-on, ma, sa, mun, meen, mennaan, ei Sources: - VISK § 108 - inflection of the negative verb (Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://kaino.kotus.fi/visk/sisallys.php?p=108 - VISK § 109 - the negative form of the main verb (Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://kaino.kotus.fi/visk/sisallys.php?p=109 - VISK § 1201 - answering with a verb or a particle (Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://kaino.kotus.fi/visk/sisallys.php?p=1201 - VISK § 1289 - examples of the negative word failing to agree (Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://kaino.kotus.fi/visk/sisallys.php?p=1289 - Kielitoimiston sanakirja: olla (Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://www.kielitoimistonsanakirja.fi/#/olla