Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Things you might hear in Finnish supermarkets

Sometimes when grocery shopping in Finland, you might hear more than Hei and kaksikymmentä euroa viisikymmentä senttiä. Here are some sentences that I've heard lately, except for the ID one. Feel free to add more in the comments.

  • Onko plussakorttia? Onko S-Etukorttia? - Do you have a bonus card?
  • Laitanko nämä pakastemarjat pieneen muovipussiin? - Shall I put these frozen berries into a small plastic bag?
  • Näytätkö sun paperit / henkkarit? - Will you show me your ID?
  • Otatko käteistä vai vähennänkö (loppusummasta)? - Will you take cash or shall I deduct it (from the total)? (You hear this if you show a bottle receipt or a parking ticket.)
  • Voit ottaa kortin. - You may take the card (from the machine).
  • Otatko kuitin? - Will you take the receipt?
  • Tuleeko jotain muuta? - Will there be something else? (This one you'd only hear in kiosks and other places where you have to say what you want.) 
  • Hyvää päivänjatkoa! - Have a nice day!

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.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great idea for a post!

Ray Männikkö said...

Could you do a post on the word "hauta". I know it means grave, but I've also heard it used in making charcoal. My neighbor's name was Hautamaki and I heard it was from where they made charcoal. Also there is an old Finnish saying about new snow will hauta the old snow and help it melt.

Random Finnish Lesson / Hanna Männikkölahti said...

Hei Ray, I think I interviewed you for my thesis in summer 2002. We might also be related. :) You comment pretty much summarizes what I know about the word hauta, but I think they were mainly used for making tar. http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terva

Here's a web discussion about the word hauta http://keskustelu.suomi24.fi/node/11791621

"Uusi lumi on vanhan surma" is the saying in Finnish. surma = death

http://www.kysy.fi/kysymys/sanotaan-etta-uusi-lumi-vanhan-lumen-surma

Ray Männikkö said...

Yes, you did interview me. We had a nice talk at FinnFest. At the time I jokingly said we might be related. Later you e-mailed me to tell me your mother's friend is married to my cousin. I still consider you my almost cousin!

I have passed on the link to this blog to one of my nephews and a niece that say they are interested in learning the language.

Thanks for the links, I'll check them out.

How did your thesis turn out? I'd be interested in what conclusion you came to about the difference in the language between Finland and here in the USA.

Hanna said...

I think it turned out just fine, and I had fun writing it. American Finnish grandmas mix English and Finnish just like Finnish teenagers.:) I ended picking out six ladies whose language I analysed in more detail. Altogether I interviewed 70 people during that summer!

https://jyx.jyu.fi/dspace/handle/123456789/7329

I didn't continue with the topic after my thesis, but I did marry someone who grew up speaking American Finnish and would use the word "kaara" instead of "auto". :)

Unknown said...

Kassalle tarvitsee henkilökuntaa. :) Kun mä oon jonottamassa, heti tulen iloiseksi.

Hanna said...

Joo, hyvä lisäys.:)

Kassoille tarvitaan lisää henkilökuntaa. - More staff is needed to the cashiers.