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Questions & Answers about Auto on iso.
Why does Finnish not use any articles like a or the before auto?
Finnish does not have articles in the same way English does. A noun can stand on its own without a or the. If you need to specify something more precisely, you often use other strategies like adjectives, postpositions, or adding certain suffixes depending on the context.
Why is the verb on used here without any pronoun (like se on)?
In Finnish, it’s perfectly acceptable to have a subject noun (auto) followed directly by the verb on (“is”). You could say Se on iso, but since you’ve already named auto, the pronoun se (“it”) becomes unnecessary.
Can I change the word order of Auto on iso without changing its meaning?
You could say Iso on auto or On auto iso, but these variations can sound unusual or place emphasis differently. The most typical or neutral order is subject-verb-compliment: Auto on iso.
Why is auto in its basic form and not auton or something else?
Because auto is the subject of the sentence in the nominative case. In Finnish, the basic dictionary form is also the nominative singular, which is used for the subject when it’s doing or being something in a simple statement.
Is iso also in the nominative case?
Yes, iso is in the nominative case because it complements the subject auto. This type of predicate adjective agrees in case (and number) with the noun it describes, so auto (singular nominative) pairs with iso (singular nominative).