Monday, December 31, 2012

Being happy in Finnish

Just like in other languages, there are different words for expressing different happiness in Finnish:

Onnellinen


  • Minä haluan vain olla onnellinen. - I just want to be happy. 
  • Oletteko te onnellisia yhdessä? - Are you happy together?
  • En ollut onnellinen edellisessä suhteessani. - I wasn't happy in my previous relationship.

Tyytyväinen


  • Sait mitä halusit. Oletko nyt tyytyväinen? - You got what you wanted. Are you happy now?
  • En ole tyytyväinen tähän tulokseen. - I'm not content with this result. 
  • Oletko tyytyväinen uuteen työpaikkaasi? - Are you satisfied with your new job?

Happiness is onni or onnellisuus. Luck is also onni, but in spoken language, it is often säkä or tuuri. If someone is lucky, they are onnekas.


  • Mitä onni on? - What is happiness?
  • Olipa onni, että lompakko löytyi. - What a luck that the wallet was found.
  • Onni onnettomuudessa. -  Luck in an accident; Every cloud has a silver lining. 
  • Onnea tenttiin! - Good luck with the exam!
  • Miten sulla on aina noin hyvä säkä!? - How come you always have such a good luck!?
  • Olet onnekas, koska sinulla on sisko. - You are lucky because you have a sister. 


Congratulating in Finnish:




About the author of Random Finnish Lesson: 


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new. 

Sunday, December 23, 2012

How to use the Finnish word 'laatikko'

Here's a post about laatikko, an awesome 3-in-1 word!  If you are having a traditional Finnish Christmas dinner, you just cannot avoid it. Or them. These are the three most common meanings for laatikko:

laatikko = a box


  • Mitä tuossa laatikossa on? - What's in that box?
  • Voitko viedä tuon pahvilaatikon kellariin? - Can you take that cardboard box to the basement?


laatikko = a drawer



laatikko = a casserole, a hot dish baked in the oven


  • Oletko tehnyt tämän laatikon itse? - Did you make this casserole yourself?
  • Kaikkia laatikoita pitää maistaa. - One has to taste all casseroles. (Not true.)
  • Tykkäätkö maksalaatikosta rusinoiden kanssa vai ilman? - Do you like the liver casserole with or without raisins? (This is a weirdly big deal for some people.)


Typical Christmas casseroles:



Other casseroles:


  • liha-makaronilaatikko - casserole with macaroni and ground beef
  • kaalilaatikko - cabbage casserole
  • liha-perunasoselaatikko - a hot dish with leftover mashed potatoes and groud beef

Hyvää ruokahalua! - Bon appétit!



p.s. Here's another post about the names of Finnish containers.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Dating Finns

Here's how to talk about relationships:

  • Olemme tapailleet muutaman kerran.  - We've been seeing each other for a couple of times.
  • Seurusteletteko te? - Are you two dating?
  • Kuinka te tapasitte? - How did you meet?
  • Onko se vakavaa? - Is it serious?
  • Me ollaan kihloissa! - We're engaged!
  • Mennään naimisiin! - Let's get married!
  • Miten kauan te olette olleet naimisissa? - How long have you been married?
  • Oliko se rakkautta ensi silmäyksellä? - Was it love at first sight?
  • Lähtisitkö mun kanssa kahville? - Would you like to go out for coffee with me?
  • Muutetaanko yhteen? - Shall we move in together? 

Feel free to add more useful sentences in the comments. :)


Related post:



Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Finnish verbs: Verb type 4

Type 4 verbs have always two vowels before the personal ending in the present tense and si in the past. You can also create them yourself, which is nice.  Most of these verbs end with ata, but also other endings with a vowel + ta or tä are possible. Drop the and add the personal ending to make the present conjugation.

Haluta - to want

  • Minä haluan - I want
  • Sinä haluat - You want
  • Hän / Se haluaa - S/he wants
  • Me haluamme / halutaan - We want
  • Te haluatte - You want
  • He haluavat / Ne haluaa - They want

Lisää verbejä, more verbs: 

  • pelata, to play: Oletko pelannut mölkkyä? - Have you played mölkky?
  • halata, to hug: Halataan!  - Let's hug!
  • haluta, to want: Mitä te haluatte syödä tänään? - What do you want to eat today?
  • siivota, to clean: Miksei kukaan ole siivonnut täällä? - Why hasn't anybody cleaned up here?
  • herätä, to wake up: Mihin aikaan sinä heräsit tänään? - At what time did you wake up today?

Notice that the verbs ending with -ita are usually verb type 5 and the verbs ending -eta are verb type 6. However, these ones are verb type 4: 

  • hävitä - to lose
  • selvitä - to become clear
  • ruveta - to begin, to start
  • kiivetä - to climb

Consonant change


If there is a consonant change,  the basic form has a weak grade and all the persons have a strong grade. I have a separate post about the topic, so you can check this one out: 

Loan words


If you have no idea what a certain verb is in Finnish, you can take a foreign verb, add ata and maybe you have the correct word, or at least something that most Finns would understand. This is also very common way to make new verbs in colloquial Finnish.

  • pakata, to pack: Miksi sinä et ole vielä pakannut? - Why haven't you packed yet?
  • printata, to print: Voinko printata äkkiä yhden jutun? - Can I quickly print something?
  • bailata, to party (wildly):  Me bailattiin koko yö! - We partied the whole night! (Yes, from the Spanish bailar.) 


Lue lisää: 




About the author of Random Finnish Lesson: 


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new.  

Monday, December 17, 2012

How to use the Finnish words 'mukana' ja 'mukaan'

These two words can both be translated as with or along.

Mukana


Mukana is often used with minulla on construction and with verbs that don't express direction.

  • Onhan sinulla varmasti passi mukana? - Are you sure you have your passport along?
  • Mitä ihmettä sinulla on mukana? - What on earth do you have with you? (ihme = wonder, miracle)
  • Oletteko tässä mukana vai ette? - Are you in with this or not?
  • Älä mene niin lujaa, minä en pysy mukana! - Don't go so fast, I cannot keep up with you!
  • Laula vain muiden mukana. - Just go ahead and sing along with the others.


Mukaan


Mukaan is often used with verbs tulla and ottaa.  As you can see from the illative ending (long vowel + n), there's the idea of to somewhere.

  • Tulkaa mukaan ensi kerralla! - Come along the next time!
  • Minä en ota mitään muuta mukaan kuin kännykän ja lompakon. - I'm not going to take anything else with me but my phone and my wallet.
  • Otatko minut mukaan seuraavalla kerralla, kun menet teatteriin? - Will you take me along next time you're going to theatre?
  • Eihän haittaa, että otin meidän kissat mukaan? - I hope it doesn't bother that I took our cats along.

In written language, add the possessive suffixes:

  • Muista ottaa mukaasi tarpeeksi vessapaperia. - Remember to take along enough toilet paper.
  • Miksi teillä on aina mukananne tuo iso matkalaukku? - Why do you always have that big suitcase with you?

Mukaan can also mean according to somebody or something, and mukana can also be involved in.

  • Mun siskon mukaan tämä on tosi hyvä kirja. - According to my sister, this is a really good book.
  • Keitetään lisää kahvia tarpeen mukaan. - Let's make more coffee if needed
  • Älä vain sano, että sinäkin olet mukana tässä jutussa! - Please don't say that you are also involved in this case!
  • Haluaisin olla mukana tämän yhdistyksen toiminnassa - I'd like to be involved in this association.

Kanssa


The difference between mukana and kanssa? I'd say that kanssa is being or doing something with somebody in a more active way, and mukana is more like being there, but observing or tagging along.

  • Tulin tänne Elinan kanssa. - I came here with Elina.
  • Tulin tänne Elinan mukana. - I came here with Elina. (She's the one who has something going on in here, I just came along because she was so kind and took me with her.) Terveisiä Elinalle! :)

Related posts:





About the author of Random Finnish Lesson: 


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new. 

Monday, December 10, 2012

What to wear in winter in Finland

Well, first of all, not this:


This picture of Bogart Co. makes me smile every time I look at it. It was voted to be one of the worst band pictures ever, but I think that's too mean. Here's a great Bogart Co song from 1985 and a snowy music video.

Anyway, when it's freezing outside, try at least these:

  1. pipo - a cap / a beanie
  2. villasukat - wool socks
  3. pitkät kalsarit - long underwear
  4. kauluri - the thing around your neck, kind of like a one piece scarf. A nexkwarmer. Or what is in English?
  5. toppahousut - quilted pants / thick winter pants
  6. toppahame - a quilted skirt to pull over everything else. This one is my favourite!!

Also, remember the importance of kerrospukeutuminen, layered clothing. 

Check out Aleksi Himself's video about the same topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IazDVW-m0ls

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About the author of this blog:

My name is Hanna Männikkölahti, and I am a native Finn who gives private lessons via Skype and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please leave a comment, if you have something to ask about Finnish or novels in easy Finnish.


Lue lisää selkokirjoistani: www.hannamannikkolahti.com

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Words ending with 'in'

These words are often some sort of tools or machines, and they are usually derived from a verb. Actually, a lot of times they are homonyms with the first person singular past: pakastin means both a freezer and I froze. The basic form of the verb is pakastaa.

These are the four important forms of avain:

  • basic form avain: Kenen avain tämä on? - Whose key is this?
  • genitive avaimen: Mihin mä olen laittanut mun avaimen? - Where have I put my key?
  • partitive avainta: Et tarvitse avainta.- You won't need a key.
  • plural partitive avaimia: Oletko nähnyt mun avaimia? - Have you seen my keys?

In plural form, the e disappears before the i.

  • elative: Haluaisin teettää näistä avaimista lisäkappaleita. - I'd like to have extra copies made of these keys. 
  • adessive: Mihin näillä avaimilla pääsee? - Where can you get with these keys?

Be aware of the possible consonant change:

  • Minulla on uusi levysoitin! - I have a new record player!
  • Mistä sinä ostit tuon levysoittimen? - Where did you buy that record player?
  • Meillä ei ole levysoitinta. - We don't have a record player.
  • Onko teillä levysoittimia? - Do you have record players?



You probably already know puhelin (a phone) and kirjain (a letter as in abc), but how about these ones?


Keittiössä - in the kitchen:


  • pakastin, kahvinkeitin, leivänpaahdin, sauvasekoitin, sähkövatkain - a freezer,  a coffee maker,  a toaster, a stick blender / an immersion blender, an electric mixer


Toimistossa - in the office:


  • teroitin, viivotin, rei'itin - a sharpener, a ruler, a hole punch (Notice the cool spelling with the apostrophe!)

Autossa - in the car:


  • kytkin, kaasupoljin, varashälytin - a clutch, an accelerator pedal, a burglar alarm

The superlative forms of the adjectives also end with in, but that's another story and the declension follows a slightly different pattern. (Instead of in>ime, it's in>imma, in case you wonder.)

  • huono: Tuo oli vuoden huonoin idea! - That was the worst idea of the year!
  • kallis: Tämä oli kallein suklaarasia, minkä löysin Prismasta. - This was the most expensive box of chocolates that I found in Prisma.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

About the author of this blog:

My name is Hanna Männikkölahti, and I am a native Finn who gives private lessons via Skype and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please leave a comment, if you have something to ask about Finnish or novels in easy Finnish.


Lue lisää selkokirjoistani: www.hannamannikkolahti.com
Voit myös seurata YouTube-kanavaani ja Podcast-kanavaani.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Finnish words ending with 'nen'

Just like Finnish has verb types, we also have noun types. That matters when you have to add an ending after a word, because sometimes the word stems change. This post is about nouns that end with nen

 Nouns ending with nen:


  • nainen - a woman
  • ihminen - a human being
  • lautanen - a plate
  • leipominen - baking
  • siivoaminen - cleaning 
  • nukkuminen - sleeping  (Check out my post about making a verb into a noun!) 

 Adjectives ending with nen:


  • punainen - red
  • sininen - blue 
  • keltainen - yellow 
  • valkoinen - white
  • iloinen - happy
  • surullinen - sad 
  • onnellinen - happy
  • erikoinen  - special, kind of strange
  • erityinen - special, exceptional
  • ensimmäinen - the first
  • viimeinen - the last 
  • kreikkalainen - Greek
  • helsinkiläinen - a person from Helsinki
  • yksinkertainen - simple
  • kaksinkertainen - double (Check out my post about the long adjectives!)

Notice the strange partitive: suomalaista, naista, yksinkertaista


(The nen in the end becomes s, and then you add the partitive ta.

  • Rakastan suomalaista kahvia! - I love Finnish coffee!
  • En tunne tuota naista. - I don't know that woman. 
  • Tämä on yksinkertaista. - This is simple. 


Otherwise, the singular stem ends with se.


  • elative: Tykkäätkö suomalaisesta ruoasta? - Do you like Finnish food? 
  • adessive: Mun suomalaisella kaverilla on bileet. - My Finnish friend has a party.
  • essive: Pidätkö itseäsi suomalaisena? - Do you consider yourself Finnish?


Four important forms that are worth memorizing by heart:


  • nominative suomalainen: Minä olen suomalainen. - I am Finnish.
  • genitive suomalaisen: Tänään on suomalaisen musiikin päivä. - Today (8.12.) is the Finnish music's day, the day of Finnish music.
  • partitive suomalaista: Älä pakota minua kuuntelemaan suomalaista musiikkia. - Don't force me to listen to Finnish music. 
  • plural partitive suomalaisia: Onko sinulla suomalaisia kavereita? - Do you have Finnish friends? 


Common plural forms: 


  • nominative: Suomalaiset ovat täällä! - The Finns are here!
  • genitive: Olin ulkona mun suomalaisten kavereiden kanssa. - I was out with my Finnish friends.
  • partitive: En ymmärrä suomalaisia miehiä. - I don't understand Finnish men.
  • adessive: Miksi suomalaisilla hevibändeillä on niin paljon faneja Saksassa ja Etelä-Amerikassa? - Why do the Finnish heavy bands have so many fans in Germany and South America?
  • allative: Lähetin mun suomalaisille kavereille kutsun. - I sent an invitation to my Finnish friends. 

You can check out all the other forms in Wikisanakirja.

About the author of Random Finnish Lesson: 


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new. 

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

How to use the Finnish words 'viime', 'edellinen' and 'viimeinen'

Viime means last.





Edellinen is previous.


  • Milloin kävit edellisen kerran suihkussa? - When was the previous time that you took a shower?
  • Palvelu oli parempaa edellisellä kerralla. - The customer service was better during the previous time. 

Viimeinen is the ultimately last, the final, after which there's NOTHING.


  • Oliko tämä viimeinen esitys? - Was this the last show?
  • Kuka söi viimeisen piparin? - Who ate the last gingerbread cookie?
  • Tulen viimeisellä junalla. - I'll take the last train. (of the day)
  • Viimeisenä mutta ei vähäisimpänä - Last but not least
  • Oli kyllä viimeinen kerta kun lähdin sun kanssa mihinkään! - This was the last time that I went anywhere with you!

About the author of Random Finnish Lesson:


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new. 

Monday, December 3, 2012

How to use the Finnish verbs 'kysyä' and 'pyytää'

Sometimes I check the search keywords in order to find out how people have ended up reading my blog. Here's a post for the person who searched for pyytää. In short, kysyä is to ask a question and pyytää is to ask for something, to request.


  • Kysyitkö jotain? - Did you ask something?
  • En kehtaa kysyä. - I don't dare to ask, it's too embarrassing.
  • Minä kysyn Annalta, voiko hän auttaa. - I'll ask Anna if she can help. 







About the author of Random Finnish Lesson: 


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new. 

Friday, November 30, 2012

How to use the Finnish verb 'kestää'

Kestää is one of those vebs with multiple meanings.  The four important forms are kestää, kestän, kestin and kestänyt.

to last


  • Kuinka kauan tämä kestää? - How long will this last?
  • Kylläpä se kesti! - Man, that took a long time!
  • Mikä sulla kestää? - What's taking you so long?

to stand, to tolerate, to cope, to hold up


  • Kuinka te kestätte toisianne? - How can you stand each other?
  • Mä en kestä tätä enää! - I cannot take this anymore.
  • Kestä vielä vähän aikaa. - Hold up for a while.

to be strong enough


  • Kestääkö tämä tuoli minua? - Can I sit on this chair or will it break?
  • Jää ei kestä enää. - The ice is not strong enough (for people to walk on it) anymore. 

These words are derived from kestää:



Finally, here's the explanation for Eipä kestä:


Back in the old days, one of the meanings of kestää was to deserve. Maybe it's still like that in some dialects, but I cannot think of an example. When we answer Ei kestä or Eipä kestä to Kiitos, we actually mean Ei kestä kiittää. = Whatever I said or did wasn't so special that it would deserve a thank you.




About the author of Random Finnish Lesson:


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Terveisiä Suomesta! Greetings from Finland!

I just adore bad characteristic postcards from Finland, and these two are my gems. What kind of people design postcards like this?! And who wants to pose in them? This one I bought in Saariselkä:




Obviously, these hot hunks have probably never been to Finland, let alone posed in a yellow speedo (or nude!) by a Finnish lake. Where do you think they're from? Young and desperate for money, did they know that their pictures would end up in a postcard with a Finnish sunset? Anyway, this postcard totally says Tervetuloa Suomeen. - Welcome to Finland.

The other card portraits three naked ladies enjoying the kesämökki life. (Or is there a woman hidden somewhere in the upper right corner?) The upper left picture looks like it was taken by a stalker neighbour. The lady throwing löyly seems quite happy with the situation, even though the sauna is probably cold and the photographer didn't bother giving her a pefletti. However, my favourite is the lady hiding her face in her perm while trying to avoid sliding into a May-cold lake. Is this good PR for Finland or what?



Here are some typical post card phrases:


  • Terveisiä Suomesta! - Greetings from Finland!
  • Täällä on ihanaa. - It's lovely in here. 
  • Olisitpa sinäkin täällä. - I wish you were here, too.
  • Terveisiä Pirkolle! - Say hi to Pirkko!
  • Terveisiä Markulta! - Greetings form Markku!
  • Terveisin - With greetings
  • Rakkaudella - With love

About the author of Random Finnish lesson: 


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if your want to be the first one to know when I post something new. 

Sunday, November 25, 2012

How to use the Finnish verbs 'käyttää' and 'käydä'

Every now and then I hear people mixing these two verbs. Käyttää is to use. Käydä has many meanings, but in everyday speech it's usually to visit.

Käyttää, käytän, käytin, käyttänyt


  • Kuka on käyttänyt mun hammasharjaa? - Who's been using my toothbrush?
  • Minä käytin sitä eilen. - I used it yesterday.
  • Käytätkö maitoa tai sokeria? - Do you use milk or sugar?


Käydä, käyn, kävin, käynyt


  • En ole koskaan käynyt täällä aikaisemmin. - I've never been here before. 
  • Voisitko käydä kaupassa töiden jälkeen? - Could you go to the grocery store after work?
  • Kävitkö aamulla suihkussa? - Did you take a shower in the morning? 
  • Mun täytyy käydä vessassa. - I have to use the bathroom.
  • Se käy mulle hyvin. - That's ok with me.
  • Miten sun työhaastattelussa kävi? - How did your job interview go?
  • Käykö pankkikortti? - Can I pay with my bank card?

Visiting a friend in Finnish:


  • Tulkaa käymään meillä joku päivä! - Come and visit us some day! (Just a quick visit.)
  • Tulkaa mun luokse kylään. - Come to my place for a visit. (A nice, long visit.) 
  • Tervetuloa meille! - Welcome to our place!
  • Kävin niillä eilen. - I was at their place yesterday.
  • Mä olin koko päivän Elinalla. - I spent the whole day at Elina's.
  • Mennään Heidin luokse! - Let's go to Heidi's place!
  • Oletko sä käynyt Mikon luona? - Have you been to Mikko's place?




About the author of Random Finnish Lesson:


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new.

Vain elämää

Vain elämää is absolutely the best thing on Finnish television for a long time. It's entertaining, touching and full of great Finnish music. Seven Finnish singers spending a week together and performing their own versions of each other's hit songs. The show ended last Friday, but you can watch the episodes online, buy the album and became a huge fan of all the artists.  This performance was voted the best by the viewers. Nothing like a depressive song on a rainy and grey November evening, that's what we Finns like. :)

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Finnish verb type 2

This is probably the easiest of the verb types: no consonant change, just drop the da or before the personal endings.

to eat: syödä, syön, söin, syönyt

  • Minä syön. - I eat.
  • Sinä syöt. - You eat. 
  • Hän syö. - S/he eats. (Notice how you don't add anything to the stem.)
  • Me syömme. - We eat. 
  • Te syötte. - You eat. 
  • He syövät. - They eat.
  • Miksi sinä et syönyt aamulla? - Why didn't you eat in the morning?

to drink: juoda, juon, join, juonut
  • Oletko juonut tarpeeksi? - Have you drunk enough?

to get, to receive, to have permission to do something: saada, saan, sain, saanut

to vacuum: imuroida, imuroin, imuroin, imuroinut
  • Imuroitko jo keittiön? - Did you already vacuum the kitchen?

to wrap up : paketoida, paketoin, paketoin, paketoinut
  • Minä haluan paketoida sen! - I want to wrap it up!

The past tense


The past tense is kind of fun to make: Drop the first vowel and add the past tense i is between the verb stem and the personal ending:

  • Juon kahvia ja syön pullaa. - I'm drinking coffee and eating pulla.
  • Join kahvia ja söin pullaa. - I drank coffee and ate pulla. 

Sometimes the present and past tense are the same


If there is an i before the infinite ending da or , the present and past tenses are the same, but only in a positive sentence.

to slice:  viipaloida, viipaloin, viipaloin, viipaloinut
  • Kalle viipaloi kurkun. - Kalle slices the cucumber. / Kalle sliced the cucumber. 
  • Kalle ei viipaloi kurkkua. - Kalle doesn't slice the cucumber. 
  • Kalle ei viipaloinut kurkkua.  - Kalle didn't slice the cucumber.

Exceptions


Tehdä and nähdä have an exceptional conjugation and features from both verb type 1 (consonant gradation) and verb type 3 (adding the e).

to do, to make: tehdä, teen, tein, tehnyt


minä teen         me teemme (me tehdään)
sinä teet           te teette
hän tekee         he tekevät (ne tekee)

  • Mitä te teitte eilen? -What did you do yesterday?
  • Voitko tehdä minulle palveluksen? - Can you do me a favour?


to see: nähdä, näen, näin, nähnyt


minä näen         me näemme (me nähdään)
sinä näet           te näette
hän näkee         he näkevät (ne näkee)

  • Oletko nähnyt tätä elokuvaa? - Have you seen this movie?
  • Minä en näe mitään! - I cannot see anything!

Similar posts: 



About the author of Random Finnish Lesson: 

My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new.  

Friday, November 23, 2012

Urbaani sanakirja

If you feel like the traditional dictionary isn't enough, try Urbaani sanakirja. You can also subscribe to the word of the day!

Finnish question words 'kuinka' and 'miten'

I was asked to explain the difference between kuinka and miten. They both mean how, and they are used the same way.

Do you understand these questions and sentences?

  1. Kuinka se tapahtui?
  2. Miten tälle kurssille ilmoittaudutaan?
  3. Kuinka paljon tuo maksoi? 
  4. Miten kauan tämä kestää?
  5. Kuinka painava sun matkalaukku on? 
  6. Miten vanha sä oot? 
  7. En tiedä, kuinka se tapahtui. 
  8. En ymmärrä, miten unohdin sen!



Käännökset - Translations:

  1. Kuinka se tapahtui? - How did it happen?
  2. Miten tälle kurssille ilmoittaudutaan? - How do you sign up for this course?
  3. Kuinka paljon tuo maksoi? - How much did that cost?
  4. Miten kauan tämä kestää? - How long does this last?
  5. Kuinka painava sun matkalaukku on? - How heavy is your suitcase?
  6. Miten vanha sä oot? - How old are you?
  7. En tiedä, kuinka se tapahtui. - I don't know how it happened. 
  8. En ymmärrä, miten unohdin sen! - I don't understand how I forgot i!

In spoken language, kuinka is often shortened to kui or kuin.



About the author of Random Finnish Lesson: 


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new.  

Monday, November 19, 2012

Having something in Finnish (minulla on)

Having something in Finnish requires using a special possessive structure. The verb is always on (or oli in the past tense), but you have to remember to have the personal pronoun or the proper name in the adessive form, the one with the lla or llä ending.

  • Minulla on  / Mulla on -  I have (the other form is a common spoken language form)
  • Sinulla on / Sulla on - You have
  • Hänellä on / Sillä on - He or she has
  • Meillä on - We have
  • Teillä on - You have
  • Heillä on / Niillä on - They have

Here's what happens if you forget the adessive ending:

  • Jussilla on koira. - Jussi has a dog.
  • Jussi on koira. - Jussi is a dog. 

Here are some everyday sentences with the possessive structure. The first one is in written language, the other one in spoken language.

  • Minulla on nälkä. Mulla on nälkä. - I'm hungry.
  • Kenellä on jano? - Who's thirsty?
  • Mitä sinulla on tänään? Mitä sulla on tänään? - What do you have today?
  • Mitä asiaa hänellä oli? Mitä asiaa sillä oli? - What did s/he have to say?
  • Meillä on tänään kaalilaatikkoa. - We're having cabbage casserole today. (The word is in partitive, because it is an uncountable food word.)
  • Onko teillä ensi viikonloppuna jotain? - Do you have something going on next weekend? 
  • Heillä on tosi hieno asunto. Niillä on tosi hieno kämppä. - They have a really nice apartment.

If you don't have something, the verb is ei ole and whatever you don't have is in partitive.

  • Minulla on avain. - I have a key.
  • Minulla ei ole avainta. - I don't have a key. 
  • Meillä on auto.  - We have a car. 
  • Meillä ei ole autoa. - We don't have a car.

(... except for things like nälkä, jano, kuuma and kylmä; hunger, thirst, hot and cold.)

The past tense form is oli: 
  • Minulla oli eilen tosi kivaa! - I had a great time yesterday!

If the name of a person ends with a consonant, add an i before the ending.
  • Haraldilla on liput ensi-iltaan. - Harald has the tickets to the premiere. 

When the name ends with as or us, the s becomes kse before the ending.
  • Matiaksella on kiire. - Matias is busy.

Notice the consonant change:

  • Matilla on upea kesämökki. - Matti has a fabulous summer cottage.

If you are talking about many things, you might need a partitive, t-plural or plural partitive:

  • Minulla on viisi avainta. - I have five keys.
  • Minulla on avaimet. - I have the keys.
  • Minulla on avaimia. - I have a random amount of keys. 
  • Minulla ei ole avaimia. - I don't have (the) keys.

Here are two questions that look almost the same, but the meaning is very different. Mikä is the basic form of what, and mitä is the partitive form.

  • Mitä sinulla on? - What do you have?
  • Mikä sinulla on? - What's wrong with you?

Another way of asking is with the ko/kö question:

  • Onko sinulla aikaa? - Do you have time?
  • Oliko sulla kivaa? - Did you have fun?

p.s. Check out this post about the adessive ending LLA. It's one of my favourite endings.:) You might also like my post about mikä and mitä.


About the author of Random Finnish Lesson: 

My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new. 

Sunday, November 18, 2012

How to talk about help and helping in Finnish

First some useful vocabulary, then examples: 

  • Auttaa - to help
  • Apu - help (a noun)
  • Avulias - (a) helpful (person)
  • Hyödyllinen - useful (from the noun hyöty)  


Auttaa, autan, autoin, auttanut


  • Minä autan sinua. - I'll help you.
  • Miksi sinä et auttanut omaa veljeäsi? - Why didn't you help your own brother?
  • Anteeksi, mutta voisitko auttaa vähän? - Excuse me, but could you help a little?
  • Kiitos kun autoit meitä. - Thanks for helping us.
  • Auttakaa! - Hey people, help!

Apu


  • Apua!! - (Give me some) help!!
  • Tarvitsetko apua? - Do you need help?
  • Kiitos avusta tosi paljon. - Thanks a lot for the help.
  • Tästä oli paljon apua. - This was really helpful. (Literally: From this was a lot of help.)
  • Toivottavasti tästä oli apua. - I hope this was helpful.


Avulias / Hyödyllinen


  • Tämä on hyödyllinen harjoitus. - This is a useful exercise. 
  • Hän on aina niin avulias! - He / she is always so helpful!





About the author of Random Finnish Lesson: 


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new.  

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Joulu

It's never too early to think about Christmas cards! Just make sure that you write them correctly, and unlike so many Finns and card companies, do NOT capitalize every single word in your greeting, like this: Hyvää Joulua Ja Onnellista Uutta Vuotta. It's just wrong no matter how pretty and artistic it might look like.

Are you familiar with this old poem about the Finnish minuscules?

Viikonpäivät, kaikki kuut, 
joulu ynnä juhlat muut
pienellä ne kirjoitamme
virkkeen keskellä jos on ne.

= The days of the week, all the months / Christmas and other festivities / we spell them with a small letter / if they are in the middle of a sentence. (Same goes for nationalities and languages.)  If you want to know more about this topic, check out the Institute for the Languages of Finland and Kielitohtori.

Here are the most typical Christmas greeting phrases and their literal translations:

  • Hauskaa joulua - Merry Christmas
  • Iloista joulua - Joyous Christmas
  • Hyvää joulua - Good Christmas
  • Rauhallista joulua - Peaceful Christmas
  • ja onnellista uutta vuotta - and a Happy New Year

Feel free to mix and be creative! You can leave your greeting to the comment box and I'll add it to the list.

P.S. Here are some interesting sites for alternative Christmas presents: