Learn Finnish: Missä te olette?

te is the plural 'you' used when talking to more than one person. It can also be used as a polite, formal 'you' when speaking to one person, such as in customer service.

Why is the verb olette used here instead of olet?

In Finnish, verbs change their endings to match the subject. Because the subject is the plural te, the verb olla (to be) takes the plural ending -tte, becoming olette. You would use olet with the singular sinä.

Do I always have to include the word te?

No, you can just ask Missä olette? Because the verb ending -tte already tells us the subject is 'you plural', the pronoun te is often dropped in everyday conversation.

How does missä differ from mistä?

missä asks 'where' you are currently located, which fits perfectly here. If you wanted to ask where someone is originally from, you would use mistä (from where) and ask Mistä te olette?