osoittpronominit

Osoittopronominit, known in English as demonstrative pronouns, are words used to point out or identify specific nouns or noun phrases. They indicate proximity in space or time, or can refer to something previously mentioned or understood. In Finnish, the most common demonstrative pronouns are tämä, tuo, and tuo.

Tämä generally refers to something close to the speaker, either physically or in terms of time. For example, "tämä kirja" means "this book." Tuo refers to something that is not close to the speaker but is within the listener's vicinity or at a moderate distance in time. An example would be "tuo talo," meaning "that house." A third demonstrative pronoun, tuo, can be used to refer to something further away from both the speaker and the listener, or to something that was mentioned earlier in the conversation. For instance, "tuo juttu" could mean "that thing over there" or "that matter we were discussing."

These pronouns agree in number and case with the noun they modify or replace. If they stand alone, acting as pronouns, they still take on the grammatical function of the noun they represent. For example, "Tämä on minun" means "This is mine." The choice between tämä, tuo, and tuo often depends on the context and the speaker's perception of distance. While their primary function is demonstrative, they can also be used more abstractly to refer to ideas or concepts.