Questions & Answers about Nämä koirat ovat täällä.
Why use nämä instead of tämä for "these"?
In Finnish, demonstrative pronouns must match the number of the noun they point to. Since koirat (dogs) is plural, we must use the plural pronoun nämä (these) instead of the singular tämä (this).
How do we know koirat is plural?
In the basic subject form, Finnish makes words plural by adding a -t to the end. The singular word koira (dog) simply takes a -t to become koirat (dogs).
Why is the verb ovat used here instead of on?
Because the subject, Nämä koirat (these dogs), is plural. Just like in English where we say "the dog is" but "the dogs are", Finnish uses on for a singular subject (he/she/it is) and ovat for a plural subject (they are).
I've seen tässä used for "here". Why does this sentence use täällä?
Both words mean "here", but they refer to different sizes of space. Tässä usually means right exactly here in a specific spot, while täällä refers to a more general area, like "in this room" or "around here". Since dogs usually move around a broader space, täällä is very natural here.