nämä / nuo / ne

These, Those, They

Level 1

Finnish uses three plural demonstratives: nämä (these), nuo (those), and ne (they/those). They change based on how far away the objects are from the speaker.

How It Works

In Finnish, demonstrative pronouns must match the noun they describe in both case and number. This is called adjective agreement.

1. Nämä (These)
Used for objects within the speaker's reach or immediate personal space. It is the plural of tämä.
Example: Nämä kirjat ovat minun. (These books [here by me] are mine.)

2. Ne (Those / They)
Crucially, ne is used for objects in the listener's space (the 'you-sphere'), even if they are visible. It is also used for things already mentioned or not visible. It is the plural of se.
Example: Ovatko ne kirjat sinun? (Are those books [there by you] yours?)

3. Nuo (Those)
Used for objects that are away from both the speaker and the listener (e.g., across the street). It is the plural of tuo.
Example: Katso noita autoja! (Look at those cars [over there]!)

Spoken Forms
In everyday spoken Finnish, you will often hear the shortened forms nää (for nämä) and noi (for nuo). In spoken Finnish, ne is also used to refer to people.

Agreement and Cases
When these pronouns are used with a noun in a specific case, the pronoun must also change. For example, if the noun is in the inessive case (-ssa), the pronoun changes too:

  • näissä taloissa (in these houses)
  • niissä taloissa (in those/them houses)
  • noissa taloissa (in those houses)

Examples (5)

  1. Nämä ovat minun avaimeni.

    These are my keys.

    Word by Word: These are my keys.

    Uses 'nämä' because the keys are likely in the speaker's hand or right in front of them.

  2. Pidän noista kengistä.

    I like those shoes.

    Word by Word: I like from-those shoes.

    Uses 'noista' (elative case of 'nuo') because the shoes are visible at a distance. The verb 'pitää' requires the elative case.

  3. Missä sakset ovat? Ne ovat kaapissa.

    Where are the scissors? They are in the cabinet.

    Word by Word: Where scissors are? They are in-cabinet.

    Uses 'ne' because the scissors were just mentioned and are not currently visible (they are inside a cabinet).

  4. Nuo linnut lentävät etelään.

    Those birds are flying south.

    Word by Word: Those birds fly to-south.

    Uses 'nuo' because the speaker is pointing at birds visible in the sky.

  5. Ostitko nämä omenat kaupasta?

    Did you buy these apples from the store?

    Word by Word: Bought-you these apples from-store?

    Uses 'nämä' to refer to the specific apples right here.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'nuo' for things you cannot see.

    Missä kirjat ovat? Nuo ovat pöydällä.
    Missä kirjat ovat? Ne ovat pöydällä.

    If you are answering a question about where something is, use 'ne'. Use 'nuo' only if you are physically pointing at them while speaking.

  • Forgetting to decline the pronoun to match the noun's case.

    Asun nämä taloissa.
    Asun näissä taloissa.

    Demonstratives must agree with the noun. If the noun has the -ssa ending, the pronoun must change to the corresponding form (näissä).

  • Using 'he' for animals or objects.

    Koira on pihalla. He leikkivät.
    Koirat ovat pihalla. Ne leikkivät.

    In standard Finnish, he is for people. Animals and things are ne.

How It Connects

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nämä / nuo / neLevel 1These, Those, They

Learn This First

To understand the plural demonstratives 'nämä', 'nuo', and 'ne', you first need to be familiar with their singular counterparts and how they relate to distance from the speaker. Additionally, since these pronouns are often used as subjects in sentences, knowing the verb 'to be' (olla) and the lack of grammatical gender in Finnish is necessary for correct usage.

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tämätämätuotuo