Word
Ovatko nuo isot laatikot pahvia?
Meaning
Are those big boxes cardboard?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Ovatko nuo isot laatikot pahvia?
Why is it nuo here instead of one of the plural local cases we are learning, like noissa?
Because "those big boxes" are the subject of the sentence (they are the things that "are" cardboard). Therefore, the pronoun nuo, the adjective isot, and the noun laatikot all take the basic plural form (nominative). You would use a local case like noissa if you were talking about what is inside those boxes (for example, "Are there apples in those boxes?").
Why is "cardboard" (pahvi) in the partitive form (pahvia)?
When you describe what material or substance something is made of, Finnish uses the partitive case. Using the partitive pahvia is the standard Finnish way to express that the boxes are "made of cardboard".
The dictionary form for box is laatikko. Why does it only have one 'k' in this sentence?
This is due to consonant gradation. When you add the plural -t ending to laatikko, it closes the final syllable. This causes the strong double kk to weaken into a single k, resulting in laatikot.
How exactly does the word ovatko form the question?
Ovat is the "they are" form of the verb olla (to be), which matches our plural subject "those big boxes". The -ko attached to it is a question particle used to create a yes/no question. When you add this particle, that word always jumps to the very beginning of the sentence.