Questions & Answers about Nuo kissat ovat tuolla.
Why do we use nuo for 'those' instead of ne?
Finnish has different words for 'those' based on distance. Nämä is for things close by ('these'). Nuo is for things further away but still in sight ('those'). Ne is for things out of sight or previously mentioned ('they/those'). Because we are pointing out the cats over there (tuolla), we use nuo.
How does the word kissa change to become plural here?
To make a basic subject noun plural, you simply add the letter -t to the end of the word. So the singular kissa (cat) becomes the plural kissat (cats).
Why is the verb ovat instead of on?
When the subject of the sentence is a plural noun like kissat (cats), the verb olla (to be) must take its 3rd person plural form, which is ovat (are). You only use on if it is a single cat.
Are the words nuo and tuolla related?
Yes! They both point to things that are a short distance away but still visible. Nuo is the pronoun meaning 'those', while tuolla is the location word meaning 'over there'. You will often see them used together.