Breakdown of Ihmisen aivot ovat isot.
olla
to be
iso
big
ihminen
human
aivot
the brain (plural-only in Finnish)
Questions & Answers about Ihmisen aivot ovat isot.
The lesson is about the partitive plural, so why is the adjective here isot instead of the partitive plural isoja?
In Finnish, some words are always plural even when they refer to a single thing, like aivot (brain) or sakset (scissors). When one of these plural-only words is the subject, the describing adjective usually takes the basic plural -t ending (isot) instead of the partitive plural (isoja) to show that it is one specific, whole entity.
Why is the word for brain (aivot) in the plural form?
The Finnish word for brain (aivot) is a word that only exists in the plural. Even when talking about one person's brain, you must use the plural form.
Why is the word for human (ihminen) in the -n form (ihmisen)?
This is the genitive (ownership) form. It works just like the English apostrophe-s, so ihmisen aivot literally translates to a human's brains.
Because we are talking about one brain, could I use the singular verb on instead of ovat?
No, you must use ovat. In Finnish, the verb must match the grammar of the subject. Because aivot is grammatically plural, it requires the plural verb ovat, even though English uses the singular word is.
Learn Ihmisen aivot ovat isot and more in Finnish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free