Learn Finnish: Puistossa on viisikymmentä puuta ja viisitoista lintua. - There are fifty trees and fifteen birds in the park.

Puistossa on viisikymmentä puuta ja viisitoista lintua.

There are fifty trees and fifteen birds in the park.

Breakdown of Puistossa on viisikymmentä puuta ja viisitoista lintua.

Questions & Answers about Puistossa on viisikymmentä puuta ja viisitoista lintua.

Why does the sentence use on (is) instead of ovat (are) when there are multiple trees and birds?

When expressing "There is" or "There are" in Finnish, you usually start with the location and always use the singular verb on. Even though there are many trees and birds, the verb doesn't become plural.

Why do puu (tree) and lintu (bird) change to puuta and lintua?

They are in the partitive case. In Finnish, any number greater than one must be followed by a noun in the partitive singular form.

How is the word for fifty (viisikymmentä) formed?

Multiples of ten are made by combining the base number with kymmentä, which is the partitive form of kymmenen (ten). So viisikymmentä literally means "five tens".

Why does the sentence start with the location, puistossa?

This is the standard word order for "There is/are" sentences in Finnish. You start with the location, add the verb on, and end with what is actually there. If you started with the trees and birds instead, it would mean "The 50 trees and 15 birds are in the park."