Questions & Answers about Tuo reppu on sinun.
Why is the word sinun used here instead of sinä?
Sinä is the basic word for "you". By adding the -n ending, we create the genitive case, which shows ownership. This turns "you" into "your" or "yours".
Does sinun translate to "your" or "yours"?
It handles both! Unlike English, Finnish doesn't use a different word when the pronoun stands alone. Sinun reppu means "your backpack", and Reppu on sinun means "The backpack is yours".
In everyday speech, would a Finn actually say sinun here?
They would most likely say sun. In spoken Finnish, sinun is very often shortened to sun, so you will frequently hear people say "Tuo reppu on sun".
I learned that se means "that" or "it". Why are we using tuo instead?
Both can mean "that", but they are used differently. Tuo is used when you are physically pointing out something you can see over there. Se is more abstract and is often used when just referring back to something you were already talking about.