10 most popular blog posts

It's the last day of the year, so here's some blog statistics:

These are my most viewed posts:

1. YKI test (31000 pageviews!)
2. Material for teaching yourself Finnish
3. 100 very common Finnish words
4. Last minute Yki tips
5. Minulla on
6. Having sex in Finnish
7. A guide for a schoolkid's parents in easy Finnish (If you have kids who go to school in Finland, please check out my guide book if you haven't already done so. Writing this was a good practice for me, and I will actually have two real books in easy Finnish  published next year!)
8. Finnish words that mean something else in other language
9. 36 verbs you should maybe know
10. What to wear in winter in Finland

I get most readers from these countries:

1. Suomi - Finland
2. Yhdysvallat - United States
3. Venäjä - Russia
4. Ranska - France
5. United Kingdom - Yhdistynyt Kuningaskunta / Iso-Britannia ja Pohjois-Irlanti
6. Saksa - Germany
7. Ukraina - Ukraine
8. Puola - Poland
9. Ruotsi - Sweden
10. Kanada - Canada

Kiitos kaikille lukijoille ja hyvää uutta vuotta 2017! 

Very common mistakes in Finnish

Have you ever tried to say Minä työn? You are not alone!

Here's a small post about very common mistakes that almost everybody has made or will make at some point. Feel free to leave a comment, if you have something to add to this list.

Ya

Ya is not a Finnish word. And is spelled ja. (Ya is Spanish and means jo - already.)

*Työdä*

 Työdä is not a word. (At least not yet!) I have a post about talking about work in Finnish.

Kotoisin

Kotoisin is not a verb. The expression to be (originally) from somewhere always requires the verb olla in front of it. Like in Minä olen kotoisin Seinäjoelta. - I'm originally from Seinäjoki, I grew up in Seinäjoki.

Takaisin

Takaisin is also not a verb. It just means back, and it's used in expressions like Milloin sä tuut takaisin? - When will you come back? and Katso, kuka on tullut takaisin. - Look who's back. 

Kirjoittaa

 Say kirjoittaa, not kirjoa, unless you are embroidering.

Matka

Matka is a trip and matkustaa is to travel, so don't say minä matkan. (A post about traveling coming soon!)

*Normaalisesti*

It's normaalisti, not normaalisesti.

Yksi

Don't say yksi when reading out for example the year 1978, tuhat yhdeksänsataa seitsemänkymmentä kahdeksan. Same goes with hundred, so 150 is sataviisikymmentä. 

Että 

Don't say että when you start a sentence with Mielestäni, Minun mielestäni, or Minusta. Here's a post about when to use että.

Nain

Don't say that you had sex if you want to say that yous saw something. Näin is I saw. Nain is I had sex. Here's a post about naida and nähdä.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it. 
Kiitos, kun luit! Jos pidit postauksesta, voit jakaa sen eteenpäin.
– Hanna

Valmis

...and other similar words. Do you know the meaning of these ones?

1. valmis
2. valmiihko
3. valmistaa (valmistan, valmistin, valmistanut)
4. valmistua (valmistun, valmistuin, valmistunut)
5. valmistautua (valmistaudun, valmistauduin, valmistautunut)
6. valmistella (valmistelen, valmistelin, valmistellut)
7. valmistujaiset
8. valmentaa (valmennan, valmensin, valmentanut)
9. valmentaja
10. valmennuskurssi

Here are some random sentences for you to learn:

1. Olen valmis! - I'm ready!
2. Tämä teksti on valmiihko. - This text is almost ready.
3. Mikä firma tämän on valmistanut? - Which company made this?
4. Minä vuonna sinä valmistuit? - Which year did you graduate?
5. Oletko valmistautunut huomiseen? - Have you prepared (yourself) for tomorrow?
6. Minun täytyy valmistella juhlia. - I have to prepare the party.
7. Millainen kakku sun valmistujaisissa oli? - What kind of a cake did you have in your graduation party?
8. Kuka teitä valmentaa? - Who is coaching you?
9. Meillä on uusi valmentaja. - We have a new coach.
10. Oletko osallistunut valmennuskurssille? - Have you attended a preparation course?

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

About the author of this blog:

My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. You can contact me through www.privatefinnishlessons.com. You can subscribe to this blog from the right-hand banner. 

My books in easy Finnish: www.hannamannikkolahti.com

YouTube - Soundcloud - Instagram

When something is broken in Finnish

Here's list of things to say when something doesn't work the way it is supposed to: 

1. Se ei mene päälle.
2. En saa sitä pois päältä. 
3. Se vuotaa vettä. 
4. Siihen ei tule valoa.  
5. Siihen ei tule virtaa.  
6. Siitä ei kuulu mitään. 
7. Siitä kuuluu omituista ääntä. 
8. Siitä tulee savua. 
9. Tästä on ehkä irronnut jokin pala. 
10. Se ei vain toimi.

Käännökset - Translations: 

(The clumsy sentences in the parenthesis are to demonstrate the exact translation of the expression.)

1. Se ei mene päälle. - It doesn't turn on.
2. En saa sitä pois päältä. - I can't turn it off.
3. Se vuotaa vettä. - It's leaking water.
4. Siihen ei tule valoa.  - There's no light. (Into it won't come any light.)
5. Siihen ei tule virtaa.  - There's no electricity. (Into it won't come any electricity.)
6. Siitä ei kuulu mitään. - It doesn't make any sound. (From it cannot be heard anything.)
7. Siitä kuuluu omituista ääntä. - It makes a strange sound. (From it comes a strange sound.)
8. Siitä tulee savua. - It's smoking. (From it comes smoke.)
9. Tästä on ehkä irronnut jokin pala. - This is maybe missing a piece. (A piece might have detached from this.)
10. Se ei vain toimi. - It just doesn't work.

p.s. Notice that Finnish has its own way of talking about people working.

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. Follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new. If you want to subscribe to my newsletter, you can do it here.  

Talking about Christmas in Finnish

Here are some useful Christmas sentences:

• Mitä sä teet / te teette jouluna? - What will you do on Christmas?
• Mitä sä haluat joululahjaksi? - What do you want for a Christmas present?
• Aiotko lähettää joulukortteja? - Are you going to send Christmas cards? 
• Kuinka monta yötä me ollaan täällä? - How many nights will we stay in here?
• Kuka on tänä vuonna joulupukkina? - Who's the Santa this year?
• Kuka tekee laatikot? - Who will prepare the casseroles?

The names of the days:

• aatonaatto - The day before Christmas Eve (23.12.)
• jouluaatto - Christmas Eve (24.12.)
• joulupäivä - Christmas Day (25.12.)
• tapaninpäivä - Boxing Day (26.12.)
• välipäivät - the days between Christmas and New Year's Eve 
• uudenvuodenaatto - New Year's Eve (31.12.)
• uudenvuodenpäivä - New Year's Day (1.1.)

Lahjaideoita - Gift ideas:

• Kielen elämä by Lari Kotilainen. A super interesting and fun book about the past, present and future of Finnish language. A perfect gift for a Finnish friend, but also for advanced Finnish learners.
• Selkokirja - A novel in Easy Finnish. 
• Selkosanomat vuodeksi - A newspaper in Easy Finnish, delivered to your home twice a month for a year for only 23 euros!
• Mitä tahansa Moiko-liikkeestä. Anything from Moiko.

Here's a great poster by Kielitohtori. If you are sending Christmas greetings in Finnish, pay attention to the letter cases!

Finnish words that mean something else in other languages

..and by something else, I mean something inappropriate. I hope that I don't offend too many readers with this post!

I'm sure that many of you have giggled at this picture of a megapussi: (nowadays it's just a megabag.)

Are you familiar with these everyday Finnish words and their meanings in other languages?

1. aho
2. Hui!
3. jopa
4. Katso!
5. kirja
6. koskaan
7. kun
8. lohi
9. maukas
10. merta
11. pukki
12. suka

Here are the translations and meanings in different languages:

1. aho - a glade, uncultivated land, also a common Finnish last name (アホ , idiot in Japanese)
2. Hui! - Oops! (хуй, dick in Russian)
3. jopa - even (жопа, ass in Russian)
4. Katso! - Look! (cazzo, a penis in Italian)
5. kirja - a book (کیریا, a motherf*cker in Farsi)
6. koskaan - ever (کس کان, a vagina-butt in Farsi)
7. kun - when (کون, butt in Farsi)
8. lohi - salmon (лохи, stupid guys in Russian)
9. maukas - tasty (sluts in Latvian)
10. merta - a partitive form of meri, a sea (Merda is sh*t in Italian and Portuguese)
11. pukki - a male goat (пуки, farts in Russian)
12. suka - a horse brush (сука, slut in Russian) 

Feel free to share more examples in the comments!

If you are wondering which foreign words and names sound funny to Finns, Mr. Pascal Vittu is definitely the winner.

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.

Luottomies - Wingman

Luottomies or Wingman is a new tv show that you can watch even if you're not in Finland! It is funny, the actors are great, the episodes are only ten minutes long, and you can have the subtitles in Finnish and in English. 

• Watch the first episode with English subtitles.
• Katso ensimmäinen jakso suomenkielisellä tekstityksellä.

• Read more about the show.
• Listen to Antti Luusuaniemi's interview.

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. 

Finnish past tense in a nutshell

Here are all my posts that have something to do with the past tense:

• How to form the past tense
• Verbs that have oi in the past tense
• Verbs that are the same in present and past
• Talking about what you used to do 
• The negative past tense
• The difference between imperfekti and perfekti
• Verb conjugation in spoken language
• Mitä sä teit eilen? - A course in Memrise
• Passive voice in different tenses
• NUT participle, the past participle active
• TTU partiviple, the past participle passive
• Referative construction

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. Follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new. If you want to subscribe to my newsletter, you can do it here. 

Finnish passive in a nutshell

Here are all the posts that I have written that have something to do with passive:

• How to use the passive voice
• How to form the passive 
• The passive voice in different tenses

• TU-participle, also known as the passive past participle
• TAVA-participle, also known as the passive present participle

• Present passive in Memrise
• Past passive in Memrise

About the word order 

In an active sentence, I'd say like this:

• Minä maalaan tuon seinän huomenna. - I'll paint that wall tomorrow. 

In a passive sentence, you'd start with the object: 

• Tuo seinä maalataan huomenna. - That wall will be painted tomorrow. 

You can also start a passive sentence with a time expression or a place.

• Huomenna tuo seinä vihdoin maalataan! - Tomorrow, they will finally paint that wall!
• Koulussa maalataan vesiväreillä. - At school, they paint with watercolours.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it. 
Kiitos, kun luit! Jos pidit postauksesta, voit jakaa sen eteenpäin.
– Hanna

Singing in a choir in Finland

Singing in a choir is one of my favourite hobbies. As you can see from this list, Finland is full of choirs. There is definitely a possible choir for anybody over 5 years old who is interested in laulaminen. Usually new singers are welcome in the the beginning of the fall season, but sometimes you can join a choir in the middle of the year. Singing is a great way of learning Finnish, and many Finnish choirs sing also in other languages.

This is what you should do if you want to join a choir in Finland:

1. Find a suitable choir close to you.
2. Google the contact information of puheenjohtaja (chairperson of the singer's association) or kuoronjohtaja (choir conductor), which is also sometimes called taiteellinen johtaja (artistic director).
3. Call or email them and write that you'd like to sing in the choir. You can also ask for a recommendation for another choir.
4. Be prepared for a possible audition and go to the choir practice, if there is space for another basso, tenori, altto or sopraano.

Here's a model email that you can use:

Hei,

olen 25-vuotias saksalainen opiskelija. Opiskelen yliopistossa musiikkitiedettä ja haluaisin laulaa kuorossa. Olen laulanut poika- ja sekakuoroissa  9-vuotiaasta lähtien. Olen basso. Osaan lukea nuotteja ja laulamisen lisäksi soitan selloa ja pianoa. Tulisin mielelläni koelauluun. Olisiko teidän kuorossanne tilaa? Jos ei, osaisitteko suositella jotain toista kuoroa, joka voisi sopia minulle?

Ystävällisin terveisin

N.N.

This is the choir where I sing: https://www.kipinatkuoro.fi/

Kuva: Meritta Lautamäki

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

About the author of this blog:

My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. You can contact me through www.privatefinnishlessons.com. You can subscribe to this blog from the right-hand banner. 

My books in easy Finnish: www.hannamannikkolahti.com

YouTube - Soundcloud - Instagram

Finnish grammar classics

Many Finnish language learners seem to struggle with same topics. I'd say that these are the top 15+ challenges for many intermediate learners, or at least I seem to be sharing these ones a lot when teaching via Skype.

1. Tai or vai?
2. Alkaa or aloittaa?
3. T-plural or plural partitive?
4. Past tenses in Finnish
5. Why En meni is not correct?
6. The six local endings
7. "What are all these jo-words?"
8. Object!
9. The difference between Minä tarvitsen and Minun täytyy
10. How to talk about working in Finnish
11. How to talk about moving in Finnish
12. How to talk about trying in Finnish
13. Yet another reason to use partitive
14. How to finish in Finnish
15. How to change in Finnish
16. Five things to avoid to pay attention to when speaking or writing Finnish
17. Things to read in easy Finnish

Here are my favourite lists on this blog:

• 100 very common Finnish words
• Words that are both Finnish and English
• Words with one consonant and a long vowel
• 100 words in plural partitive
• Communication verbs
• 36 useful test instruction verbs

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

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 selkokirjoista: https://privatefinnishlessons.com/books/

Accusative verbs in Finnish

I'm sure that many of you have heard about partitive verbs, which are verbs that always require a partitive form of a noun after them. Here's a list of common accusative verbs or total object verbs. You might want to refresh your memory about the Finnish object afterwards.:)

These are the personal pronouns and the question word kuka in the accusative form:

• minä - minut
• sinä - sinut 
• hän - hänet
• me - meidät
• te - teidät
• he - heidät
• kuka - kenet?

Kuinka monta verbiä osaat jo? - How many verbs do you already know?

1. esitellä
2. herättää
3. kutsua
4. muistaa
5. nähdä
6. parantaa
7. tappaa
8. tavata
9. tuntea
10. unohtaa
11. viedä
12. yllättää

Here are the example sentences and translations: 

1. Voisitko esitellä hänet minulle? - Could you introduce him to me?
2. Herätä minut kuudelta. - Wake me up at six.
3. Hän kutsui meidät juhliinsa. - She invited us to her party. 
4. Minä muistan sinut! - I remember you!
5. Minä näin sinut eilen kaupungilla. - I saw you at the city centre yesterday. 
6. Tuo lääkäri paransi minut. - That doctor cured / healed me.
7. Minä tapan sinut! - I'll kill you!
8. Tapaan hänet huomenna. - I'll meet her tomorrow,  
9. Tunnen heidät hyvin. - I know them well.
10. Oletko unohtanut meidät? - Have you forgotten us?
11. Minä voin viedä sinut kotiin. - I can take you home. 
12. Sinä yllätit minut! - You surprised me!

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. Follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new.  If you want to subscribe to my newsletter, you can do it here. 

Finnish clothing brands

Do you remember by post about Finnish products? Here are three Finnish clothing brands that are definitely worth checking out!

• Moiko (Just ordered a pair!)
• Melli Ecodesign (My kids love their super soft long underwear.)
• R-Collection (Will definitely visit their shop next time I'm in Helsinki.)

Finnish course in Hossa national park in August 20-24, 2017

Would you like to have a clear goal for your Finnish studies? Like being able to participate in a four day Finnish course in Hossa in August 20-24, 2017? My friend Saija and I are organizing  a course that combines nature, well-being and Finnish language. Everything will happen in Finnish, and in addition to hiking and biking in the nature, eating vegetarian food, doing yoga and spotting reindeer, we'll also a daily Finnish language workshop somewhere between or after the activities.

The course is not for beginners, but luckily you still have plenty of time to brush up your Finnish! The idea is that half of the participants are native Finns. They can either participate in the language workshops or take naps while you study.:)

We'll have more details later, but this is just for you to know if you want to plan your schedule well in advance. The course will start in the evening of August 20 and end in August 24. We'll be staying in Jatkonsalmen kämppäkartano, two people in a room. We'll update the price and other details as soon as we have finished planning the programme. Did you notice that Hossa is mentioned in Lonely Planet's article about the best travel destinations in 2017?

This is Saija's homepage. In addition to being a Finnish teacher, she is also a yoga instructor and a wilderness guide student.

How to use the Finnish word 'puoli'

Here's a post about puoli, which is usually a half or a side. Kiitos ideasta to the person who suggested this topic. 

Ymmärrätkö nämä lauseet? Do you understand these sentences?

1. Kello on puoli yksi. 
2. Tiina on mun siskopuoli. 
3. Miksi sun takapuoli on märkä?
4. Kumman puolen sinä haluat? 
5. En kyllä maksaisi tuosta talosta puolta miljoonaa.
6. Kummalla puolella sinä haluat nukkua? 
7. Nähdään puolelta. 
8. Kirjoita sun nimi toiselle puolelle. 
9. Juoksin kotiin puolessa tunnissa. 
10. Tein sen sinun puolestasi. 
11. Hän lupasi tulla puoleen mennessä.
12. Muutan Ranskaan puoleksi vuodeksi. 
13. Joku on syönyt tästä puolet! 
14. Hän on puolitoistavuotias.

Käännökset - Translations:

1. Kello on puoli yksi. - It's half past twelve.
2. Tiina on mun siskopuoli. - Tiina is my stepsister.
3. Miksi sun takapuoli on märkä? - Why is your butt wet?
4. Kumman puolen sinä haluat? - Which half (of a bun etc.) do you want?
5. En kyllä maksaisi tuosta talosta puolta miljoonaa. - I wouldn't pay half a million for that house.
6. Kummalla puolella sinä haluat nukkua? - On which side do you want to sleep?
7. Nähdään puolelta. - See you at half past (something).
8. Kirjoita sun nimi toiselle puolelle. - Write your name (to) on the other side.
9. Juoksin kotiin puolessa tunnissa. - I ran home in half and hour.
10. Tein sen sinun puolestasi. - I did it on your behalf. 
11. Hän lupasi tulla puoleen mennessä. - He promised to come by half past (something).
12. Muutan Ranskaan puoleksi vuodeksi. - I'll move to France for half a year.
13. Joku on syönyt tästä puolet! - Someone has eaten half of this!
14. Hän on puolitoistavuotias. - He is 1,5 years old.

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.  

How to use the Finnish words 'lisää' and 'enemmän'

Lisää is more, additionally. 
Enemmän is also more, but it's the comparative form of paljon, a lot.

Here's how to use them in sentences:

• Saisinko lisää kahvia? - Could I have more coffee, please? (I already had some but I drank it and now I want more.)
• Saisinko enemmän kahvia? - Could I have more coffee, please? (You only gave me some and I'd like to have some more.)
• Ota lisää ruokaa. - Take more food. (Your plate is empty. Take more.)
• Ota enemmän ruokaa. - Take more food. (You took too little. Take more.)

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.

How to use the finnish words 'ero', 'erota' and 'erottaa'

Here's a post about words that begin with ero. 

Usually ero means a difference, distinction or a divorce.

• Mitä eroa on sanoilla tai ja vai? - What's the difference between tai and vai?
• Etsi viisi eroa. - Find five differences.
• Haluan eron. - I want a divorce.

Erota is to divorce or to separate. 

(Here's an informative link about divorcing in Finland, and here's a song that you can sing to your ex in a Finnish karaoke.)

• Miksi te erositte? - Why did you divorce?

Erottaa is for example to fire and to tell apart.

• Kukaan ei voi erottaa meitä! - Nobody can separate/fire us!
• Mä en osaa erottaa niitä toisistaan. - I cannot tell the difference between them.
• A post about resigning and getting fired in Finnish

If you are confused by the similarity of these two verbs, you might enjoy my post about transitive and intransitive verbs.

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. 

Communication verbs in Finnish

Here's a small post about verbs that express some kind of communication between people. First, test how many words you already know:

1. ehdottaa
2. hokea
3. houkutella
4. huutaa
5. ihmetellä
6. ilmoittaa
7. inttää
8. juoruta, juoruilla
9. jutella
10. kehua
11. kertoa
12. kieltää
13. kiittää
14. kirjoittaa
15. korjata
16. kuiskata
17. kysäistä
18. kysyä
19. liioitella
20. lohduttaa
21. lukea ajatuksia
22. muistuttaa
23. mutista
24. neuvoa
25. myöntää
26. paljastaa
27. pohtia
28. puhua
29. puuskahtaa
30. pyytää anteeksi
31. sanoa
32. selittää 
33. suositella
34. tiedustella
35. todeta
36. toistaa
37. tuhahtaa
38. tunnustaa
39. valehdella
40. valittaa
41. varoittaa
42. vastata 
43. väittää
44. vähätellä
45. ärsyttää

Here are the translations:

1. ehdottaa - to suggest
2. hokea - to repeat, to parrot
3. houkutella - to persuade, to talk into
4. huutaa - to yell
5. ihmetellä - to wonder
6. ilmoittaa - to announce, to notify
7. inttää - to insist, to argue
8. juoruta, juoruilla - to gossip
9. jutella - to talk, to chat
10. kehua - to praise
11. kertoa - to tell
12. kieltää - to deny, to forbid
13. kiittää - to thank
14. kirjoittaa - to write
15. korjata - to correct
16. kuiskata - to whisper
17. kysäistä - to ask quickly
18. kysyä - to ask
19. liioitella - to exaggerate
20. lohduttaa - to comfort
21. lukea ajatuksia - to read thoughts, to read someone's mind
22. muistuttaa - to remind
23. mutista - to mumble, to mutter
24. myöntää - to admit
25. neuvoa - to advice
26. paljastaa - to reveal
27. pohtia - to ponder, to discuss
28. puhua -  to speak
29. puuskahtaa - to snap, to splurge, to say abruptly
30. pyytää anteeksi - to apologize
31. sanoa - to say
32. selittää - to explain
33. suositella - to recommend
34. tiedustella - to inquire
35. todeta - to state
36. toistaa - to repeat
37. tuhahtaa - to groan, to say something angrily
38. tunnustaa - to confess
39. valehdella - to lie
40. valittaa - to complain
41. varoittaa - to warn
42. vastata - to answer
43. väittää - to insist, to claim
44. vähätellä - to belittle
45. ärsyttää - to annoy

If you like lists, here are some other posts that you might enjoy:

• 36 useful test instruction verbs
• 100 very common Finnish words
• Words that are both Finnish and English
• Words with one consonant and a long vowel
• 100 words in plural partitive

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it. 
Kiitos, kun luit! Jos pidit postauksesta, voit jakaa sen eteenpäin.
– Hanna

Learning Finnish with Nightwish fans

I know that many foreigners start to learn Finnish because of the Finnish metal bands.  Nightwish is definitely the most famous one of them, and Yle just released a documentary made by Nightwish fans. If you haven't seen it yet, now is a good time, and you can also learn Finnish by reading the subtitles. (My favourite character is the man showing the pictures from his trip to Kitee.)

How to say in Finnish that you don't really like someone

Sometimes you might want to tell (the other people) that you don't really like someone. This is how the it's said in standard Finnish:

• En pidä hänestä. - I don't like him / her. 

This is how it's often said in spoken language, or colloquial Finnish:

• Mä en tykkää siitä. - I don't like him / her. 

Here are expressions that don't sound so harsh but have the same idea:

1. No.. en tunne häntä kovin hyvin. - Well.. I don't know him/her so well.
2. Emme ole kovin läheisissä väleissä. - We're not on very close terms.
3. Emme tule toimeen kovin hyvin. - We don't get along very well.  (Check out my post about words beginnish with toimi.)
4. Meidän kemiamme eivät oikein kohdanneet. - There was no chemisty. (Our chemistry didn't really meet.)
5. Meidän sukset menivät vähän ristiin. - I crossed swords with him / her. (Our skis got a bit crossed)

Here are the same expressions in colloquial Finnish:

1. Me ei olla kovin läheisissä väleissä. 
2. Mä en tunne sitä kovin hyvin. 
3. Me ei tulla toimeen kovin hyvin.
4. Meidän kemiat ei oikeen kohdannu. 
5. Meidän sukset meni vähän ristiin. 

If this was too negative, you might feel happier after these posts:

• Liking in Finnish
• Tykätä - Pitää
• Pitää
• Being happy 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.