Demonstrative pronouns (tämä, tuo, se)

To say what something is, use the verb on (is).

Finnish doesn't have articles like "a", "an", or "the". A word like koira (dog) translates to "a dog" or "the dog" depending on context.

Pointing at Objects

Finnish has three main demonstrative pronouns. You can build simple sentences with the exact same structure as in English: Pronoun + on + Noun.

Use tämä (this) for an object close to you:

This is a dog.
Tämä on koira.
This is a house.
Tämä on talo.

Use tuo (that) for an object further away, but which you can still see or point at:

That is a cat.
Tuo on kissa.
That is a book.
Tuo on kirja.

Use se (it) for an object that is out of sight, already mentioned, or when you simply mean "it":

It is a car.
Se on auto.
It is a chair.
Se on tuoli.
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