Breakdown of Torilla on kolmekymmentäviisi lintua.
olla
to be
tori
market square
lintu
bird
viisi
five
kolmekymmentä
thirty
Questions & Answers about Torilla on kolmekymmentäviisi lintua.
Why doesn't the sentence have a word for "there" like the English translation?
In Finnish, sentences that describe where something exists usually start with the location rather than a dummy word like "there". Instead of saying "there are birds at the market," you simply say Torilla on... (At the market is...).
There are thirty-five birds, so why does the sentence use the singular verb on (is) instead of the plural ovat (are)?
In Finnish "there is / there are" sentences, the verb is always the singular on, no matter how many things are there. Additionally, any subject that has a number greater than one in front of it will always take a singular verb anyway!
Why is the word for bird in the partitive form (lintua) instead of the regular plural?
Why does the word for market square (tori) have the -lla ending?
The -lla ending means "on" or "at". For open, outdoor spaces like a market square (tori), a street (katu), or a yard (piha), Finnish naturally uses this "on" ending rather than the "in" ending (-ssa).
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