Breakdown of Missä laukku on? Se on autossa.
olla
to be
se
it / he / she (of a person) / that
auto
car
missä
where
laukku
bag
Questions & Answers about Missä laukku on? Se on autossa.
Why do we use se here?
The word se means "it" and is used to refer to things, like the bag (laukku). Keep in mind that in casual spoken Finnish, people often use se for people too (meaning "he" or "she"), but here it is used in its standard way for an object.
How does the word autossa get the meaning "in the car"?
It uses the location ending -ssa, which means "in" or "inside". You just attach this ending directly to the basic word for car, auto, to get autossa.
Why is the ending on autossa spelled with an a instead of an ä?
This is because of vowel harmony. The word auto contains the back vowels a and o, so any ending attached to it must also use the back vowel a (-ssa). If the root word contained front vowels like ä or ö, the ending would be -ssä.
Could I change the word order and ask Missä on laukku? instead?
Yes, you can. Finnish word order is quite flexible. Missä laukku on? is the most standard, neutral way to ask, but Missä on laukku? is also correct and would be perfectly understood.
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