Breakdown of Ne isot talot ovat siellä.
olla
to be
talo
house
siellä
there
ne
they / those (non-human) / they (of people)
iso
big
Questions & Answers about Ne isot talot ovat siellä.
Why does the sentence use ne for "those" instead of nuo?
Both nuo and ne translate to "those." You use nuo for things you can physically see and point at. You use ne for things that are out of sight, or things you were just talking about. Since the houses in this sentence are out of sight, ne is the natural choice.
Why does iso change to isot?
In Finnish, adjectives have to match the noun they describe. Because talot (houses) is in the plural form (ending in -t), the adjective iso (big) also gets a plural -t added to the end.
Is it possible to use on instead of ovat here?
In formal or written Finnish, you must use the plural verb ovat to match the plural subject Ne isot talot. However, in casual spoken Finnish, people almost always use the singular verb on with plural subjects, so you will often hear Ne isot talot on siellä in real life.
What is the difference between siellä and tuolla?
Both mean "there," but they pair up with the pronouns we just learned! Use tuolla when pointing at a specific place you can currently see (matching nuo). Use siellä for a general area or a place that is out of sight (matching ne).
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