Tällaisia

Tällaisia is a Finnish demonstrative form used to refer to multiple items of a described kind. It is the plural partitive form of the adjective täl-lainen, meaning “such” or “this kind of.” In sentences, tällaisia usually accompanies a noun that is either omitted or in the partitive, for example when speaking about things in a non-specific or indefinite sense.

Morphology and examples

Tällaisia functions as a determiner that signals reference to several items of the described kind. It is used with indefinite or non-specified nouns or with ellipsis, as in:

- Tällaisia asioita en ymmärrä. (I don’t understand such things.)

- Me tarvitsemme tällaisia ratkaisuja. (We need such solutions.)

- Oletko nähnyt tällaisia esimerkkejä? (Have you seen such examples?)

In contrast to tällaiset (nominative plural “these”), tällaisia is not a simple subject form; it marks partitivity or a non-assertive quantity, which is common when the exact number or identity of items is not fixed.

Usage notes

The term is versatile in both spoken and written Finnish. It can emphasize contrast (such as “these, not those”) or generalize about a category of things without specifying a noun. It commonly appears in discourse where the speaker references previously mentioned topics or scenarios, or where an implication is intended rather than a concrete list.

Relation to related forms

Other demonstratives include tällainen (this kind of), tällaiset (these kinds, nominative plural), sellainen (such/that kind), and tuollainen (that kind over there). The choice among them conveys proximity and emphasis relative to the speaker and the discourse context.

In summary, tällaisia is a standard, neutral form used to speak about multiple items of a described kind in an indefinite or non-specific sense.