Breakdown of Onko tuo se kulma, jolla leipomo sijaitsee?
olla
to be
tuo
that
se
it / he / she (of a person) / that
sijaita
to be located
joka
who / which (relative pronoun)
leipomo
bakery
kulma
corner
Questions & Answers about Onko tuo se kulma, jolla leipomo sijaitsee?
Why does the sentence use jolla instead of missä for 'where'?
While English uses the location word 'where', Finnish often uses the relative pronoun joka (which) in a location case. Here, jolla is joka in the adessive case (-lla, meaning 'on'). It literally translates to 'on which'.
How do I know whether to use jolla (on which) or jossa (in which) here?
The relative pronoun must match the location case normally used with the word it refers to. Because Finns say 'on a corner' (kulmalla) rather than 'in a corner', the pronoun takes the -lla ending to become jolla.
Why are both tuo and se used right next to each other?
tuo points to the physical corner ('that'), while se acts a bit like the English word 'the'. Using se before a noun that is followed by a joka relative clause is a very common Finnish habit to emphasize 'the specific one'.
Could I just use the verb olla instead of sijaita here?
Yes, you could easily say jolla leipomo on. The verb sijaita means 'to be located' and just sounds slightly more formal or precise, exactly like choosing 'is located' over 'is' in English.
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