Questions & Answers about Se on siinä.
Grammatically, the sentence is very simple:
- se – 3rd person singular pronoun: “it / that” (subject)
- on – 3rd person singular of olla: “is” (verb)
- siinä – inessive case of se: literally “in that / in there”, often functioning adverbially as “there (in that spot / in that state)”
So structurally it is: “It is in-there / in-that / there.”
In actual use, though, the phrase is idiomatic, not usually understood as a physical location.
Both se and tämä can translate to “this/that”, but:
- tämä is more like “this (here, close, very specific)”
- se is more like “it / that (already known, not being pointed at directly)”
In the idiom Se on siinä, you’re usually referring to:
- a result that just happened, or
- a situation that has just been completed,
not physically pointing at something right in front of you. That fits se much better than tämä.
Using Tämä on siinä would sound odd or forced; Se on siinä is the fixed, natural expression.
Siinä is:
- inessive (”in”) form of se, but
- used adverbially, so it basically means “there (in that spot / in that state)”.
Common location words built on pronouns:
- tässä – “in this (spot, right here)”
- tuossa – “in that (spot near you / between us)”
- siinä – “in that (spot just referred to, not very near)”
- siellä – “there (over there, some distance away as a place)”
In Se on siinä, siinä isn’t about a real physical place; it’s more like “in that state / that’s settled / that’s done”. So it’s locative in form, but idiomatic in meaning.
It is completely normal and fully grammatical:
- Subject: se
- Verb: on
- Adverbial (locative): siinä
Finnish often leaves out subjects, but here it doesn’t; it’s a full sentence both grammatically and idiomatically. Native speakers say it all the time, especially with an exclamation: Se on siinä!
They look similar but are used differently:
Se on siinä
- Idiomatic expression: “That’s it / That’s that / There we go.”
- Often about finishing or achieving something.
- Comment on the result or completion, not on physical location.
Siinä se on
- More literally: “There it is.”
- Most often used when you are actually locating or pointing something out:
- Siinä se on! – “There it is!” (when you finally spot a lost item, for example)
You can sometimes use Siinä se on in a slightly more figurative way, but Se on siinä is the standard idiom for “That’s it / it’s done.”
Not always. It fits best when:
- something has just been completed, decided, or achieved:
- finishing a task: “All done.”
- scoring a decisive goal: “That’s it!”
- making a final decision: “That settles it.”
It is not used for:
- rejecting offers: “That’s it, thanks” (as in “I don’t want any more”)
- introducing something: “That’s it over there.” (you’d use Siinä se on instead)
- explaining something: “That’s it, that’s the problem.” (you’d probably rephrase)
So it’s mostly tied to the nuance “Done / Over / Settled / We got it.”
For this idiom, on is normally kept: Se on siinä.
Se siinä without on exists, but it means something else:
- Se siinä on hankalaa. – “That is what’s difficult about it.”
- Se siinä onkin, että… – “The thing is that…”
In these, se siinä = “that there / that part of it,” not the idiom “That’s it.”
So if you want the “That’s it / done” meaning, you say Se on siinä, not Se siinä.
Yes:
Se oli siinä.
- Past tense: “That was it / That was that / That did it.”
- Used when looking back on a decisive moment or something that ended.
Ne on siinä. (spoken) / Ne ovat siinä. (standard)
- Plural subject: “They’re there / Those are there.”
- As an idiom equivalent to “That’s it,” se is by far the most common.
- Ne on siinä can occur but tends to sound more literally locative (“they are there”) unless the context makes an idiomatic reading very clear.
So tense changes are natural (Se oli siinä is common); plural is grammatically fine but less idiomatic in this particular expression.
It’s neutral and widely usable, but the tone is:
- casual, relaxed, often slightly triumphant or satisfied.
- very common in everyday speech, sports commentary, informal situations.
You can use it at work, for example:
- after finishing a presentation (said to colleagues, not as a super-formal closing line)
- when completing a tricky task with your team
In very formal, written, or ceremonial language you’d typically choose something more neutral like:
- Siinä kaikki. – “That’s all.”
- Asia on sillä selvä. – “That settles the matter.”
Intonation carries a lot of the meaning:
- Common idiomatic pattern (happy/satisfied):
- Se ON ↑ SIInä ↓
- Rising a bit on on, then falling with emphasis on siinä.
- Often with an exclamation: Se on siinä!
Depending on context, you can shift emphasis:
- Emphasizing the finality: Se on SIInä! – “That’s it!”
- Resigned / slightly negative: flatter tone: Se on siinä… – “Well, that’s that…”
So the grammar stays the same, but the intonation tells you whether it’s triumphant, resigned, joking, etc.