Questions & Answers about Hän on jonossa viimeinen.
Is viimeinen considered an ordinal number here?
While technically an adjective meaning "last" or "final," it belongs in this lesson because it functions just like an ordinal number to show position in a sequence. Notice it shares the -nen ending with true ordinals like ensimmäinen (first) and toinen (second).
Why do we use the -ssa ending for jonossa?
The base word is jono ("queue" or "line"). We add the inessive case ending -ssa (in) because you are physically located inside the line. This translates perfectly to the English phrase "in the queue."
If the subject was plural, would viimeinen change?
Yes. In Finnish, words showing position must agree with the subject. Because Hän (he/she) is singular, viimeinen is in its basic singular form. If the sentence were "They are last" (He ovat...), the word would change to the plural form viimeiset.
Is it also correct to write "Hän on viimeinen jonossa"?
Yes! Finnish word order is quite flexible. Placing jonossa in the middle slightly emphasizes the location ("As for the queue, he is last"), but both word orders are very common and mean the exact same thing.
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