Breakdown of Ne on naimisissa.
olla
to be
ne
they / those (non-human) / they (of people)
naimisissa
married
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Finnish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Ne on naimisissa.
Wait, doesn't ne mean "those" (for things) and he mean "they" (for people)?
In standard written Finnish, yes. He is used for people and ne is used for things or animals. However, in everyday spoken Finnish (puhekieli), people almost always use se for "he/she" and ne for "they", even when talking about humans.
Why does a plural pronoun like ne take the singular verb on instead of ovat?
This is a major rule of spoken Finnish. When you use the colloquial pronoun ne for "they", it always takes the third-person singular form of the verb. So instead of the standard plural ovat, you use on.
Can I mix and match, like saying he on or ne ovat?
It is best not to. Native speakers generally keep their pronouns and verbs in the same register. Use standard He ovat for formal writing, and spoken Ne on for everyday conversation. Mixing them up sounds unnatural.
Why does the word for "married" (naimisissa) end in the "in" ending (-ssa)?