Questions & Answers about Kuuluvatko nuo avaimet noille ihmisille?
Why does this sentence use noille instead of nuo for the second 'those'?
Nuo is the basic plural form used for the subject, nuo avaimet (those keys). The second 'those' describes the people the keys belong to. In Finnish, demonstrative pronouns must match the noun they describe. Because ihmisille is in the allative case, the pronoun tuo (that) also has to take the plural allative form, which is noille.
Why is the allative case (-lle) used for noille ihmisille here?
The verb kuulua (to belong) requires the owner to be in the allative case. Just like in English you say 'belongs TO those people', Finnish uses the -lle ending to express who receives or owns the item.
How is the word noille formed from the base word tuo?
The base word is tuo (that). To make it plural in local cases, the stem changes to noi-. Then you add the case ending, which is -lle for the allative case, giving you noille. Similarly, 'in those' would be noissa and 'from those' would be noista.
Why is the verb kuuluvatko instead of kuuluuko?