Questions & Answers about Täällä on iso ongelma.
Why is there no Finnish word for 'there' in this sentence?
English uses 'there' as a placeholder to introduce things, like 'There is a problem.' Finnish doesn't use placeholder words. Instead, it creates this meaning with word order: it puts the location first (Täällä), then the verb (on), and finally the thing that exists (iso ongelma).
Could I change the word order and say Iso ongelma on täällä?
You can, but it changes the meaning. Iso ongelma on täällä means 'The big problem is here', answering where a specific problem is. By putting the location first (Täällä on...), you are introducing the existence of a new problem, which translates to 'There is a big problem here'.
Both täällä and tässä mean 'here'. Why use täällä in this sentence?
Tässä refers to a specific, narrow spot, like 'right here on this exact point'. Täällä refers to a broader area, like 'around here', 'in this room', or 'in this situation'. For an abstract concept like a problem, the broader täällä is the natural choice.
Why is ongelma in its basic dictionary form instead of the partitive?
In 'there is' sentences (Location + is + Subject), the subject stays in the basic dictionary form (the nominative case) if it is a single, countable thing. Because there is exactly one big problem (iso ongelma), we use the basic form. If there were multiple problems, you would use the partitive form.