Sunday, July 30, 2017

Finnish studies checklist

It's time to get back to work if you have forgotten your Finnish studies over the summer! See if you can find time to do all these things. Not every day, but at least every week:


p.s. Do you already follow my Facebook page and my Instagram account?  You can also order this blog to your email. If you are using a desktop version, the link is on the right hand banner.

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Finnish local endings

Here's a small table about the local endings. They are really just prepositions at the end of the word. :)







From where?

The verb expresses some kind of movement.
Where?

There is no movement in the verb. It is very often just olla, to be. And käydä!
To where?

The verb expresses some kind of movement.

inside
Ota kirja laukusta.

(Take the book from the bag.)

Ending: STA or STÄ
Kirja on laukussa.

(The book is in the bag.)

Ending: SSA or SSÄ
Laita kirja laukkuun.

(Put the book into the bag.)

Ending: double vowel + N (usually)

on top
outside
close by
Ota kirja pöydältä.

(Take the book from the table.)

Ending: LTA or LTÄ
Kirja on pöydällä.

(The book is on the table.)

Ending: LLA or LLÄ
Laita kirja pöydälle.

(Put the book (to) on the table.)

Ending: LLE

Related posts:


If you liked this post, you might also like my Facebook page and my Instagram account! Feel free to suggest new topics for blog posts. I'm happy to solve your grammar problems.:)

Monday, July 17, 2017

Novels in easy Finnish

Here's a post about novels in easy / simplified Finnish. I asked my friend and old student to share her favourite five easy Finnish books. Kiitos, Jenna! :)

1. Ensimmäinen murhani by Leena Lehtolainen, simplified by Leena Kaivosoja-Ukkola, ("...ja kaikki muut Maria Kallio -kirjat - ...and all the other books about Maria Kallio.")

Ensimmäinen murhani - My First Murder

2. Aarresaari by Robert L.Stevenson, simplified by Pertti Rajala ("En ollut lukenut tätä englanniksikaan, ja oli hauska lukea kirja lyhyesti ja selkeästi suomeksi. Seuraavaksi aion lukea Robinson Crusoen ja Maailman ympäri 80 päivässä. - I hadn't read this in English either, and it was fun to read it in short and simple Finnish. Next, I'm going to read Robinson Crusoe and Around the World in 80 Days." )


Aarresaari - Treasure Island

3. Papin perhe by Minna Canth, simplified by Saraleena Aarnitaival ("Tämän jälkeen haluan lukea enemmän suomalaisia klassikoita. - After this, I want to read more Finnish classics.")


Minna Canth

4. Tatu, Iiris ja pääkallomies by Marja-Leena Tiainen ("Tämä oli helpompi lukea sen jälkeen kun olin lukenut Maria Kallio -kirjat, koska olin jo oppinut paljon sanastoa. - This was easier to read after I had read the Maria Kallio books, because I had already learned a lot of vocabulary.)

Tatu, Iiris ja Pääkallomies - Tatu, Iiris and a Skull Man

5. Sairaalan kellot by Georges Simenon, simplified by Marja-Leena Avela ("Tämä oli hyvä, koska opiskelen sairaanhoitajaksi. Kirja on vanha, mutta siinä oli hyvää sairaalasanastoa. - This was good, because I study to become a nurse. The book is old, but it had good hospital vocabulary.")


Sairaalan kellot - The Bells of Bisetre (sairaala = a hospital)

If you cannot find the books you want in bookstores or libraries, you can reserve them on your local library's website. If you don't know how to do that, you can use these phrases:


The easy Finnish novels are often scattered around in different library sections, so the easiest way to find all of them at once is to write selkokirja in the search box of your library's webpage. I was positively surprised that my library has 336 books in easy Finnish! They even have the books that I haven't sent to my editor yet.:)

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 your want to be the first one to know when I post something new.  

Saturday, July 15, 2017

How to say 'of' in Finnish

The English preposition 'of' is expressed at least in four different ways in Finnish:

With a genitive:



With a compound word:



With the elative ending 'sta' or the ablative ending 'lta':



With something absolutely different:



You might also be interested in these:


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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

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Salla Simukka's novel Punainen kuin veri in easy Finnish

I have a new job! I'm officially a selkomukauttaja now.

Selkomukauttaja is a person who rewrites books in simpler language, so I'd call myself a simplifier in EnglishI also continue to be a private teacher and an Yki exam evaluator, so my life won't really change that much except that I get to participate in book fairs and other events, and talk to some new people.

Salla Simukka, the author of the original novel, is one of the most translated Finnish author of all times, and her young adult trilogy about Lumikki Andersson has been really popular in many countries. (Lumikki means Snow White.) I chose this trilogy to be simplified, (and luckily got the permission!) because it is suitable for both teenagers and adults, and I thought it might be fun for the readers to follow the same character in three stories. Also, they are planning a movie based on the trilogy.

Punainen kuin veri is the first novel of the trilogy. The heroine, Lumikki Andersson, is a 17-year-old high school student in Tampere. She and her classmates end up solving a mystery of a plastic bag full of bloody 500 euro bills. You can get into the mood of the book through these book trailers, even in multiple languages.

One place to to buy the book is www.booky.fi.

The original novel has approximately 250 pages, but the novel in easy Finnish has only 120, and the lines are much shorter than in a regular book. The sentences are short, and the complex grammar structures are made much easier.

The best way to buy Punainen kuin veri is from www.booky.fi.  You might also find the book in a good bookstore, or ask the bookstore to order it for you. You can definitely borrow or reserve Punainen kuin veri from any Finnish library. 

Related links and posts:


I hope that you'll like the novel! It is also a great gift for someone who is studying Finnish and has reached at least an A2 or B1 level in their studies.


Romaanin henkilöt - Characters of the novel

A map of Tampere to make the reading experience more fun!

A sample from pages 8 and 9.

A sample from pages 56 and 57.

Interviews:


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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. 


 www.privatefinnishlessons.com/books


Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Finnish idioms

Here are some common idioms that I actually use. Do you know what they mean and when to use them?

  1. Mulla on tässä asiassa oma lehmä ojassa.
  2. Mä opin sen kantapään kautta.
  3. Se elää kädestä suuhun.
  4. Sun täytyy vain ottaa itseäsi niskasta kiinni.
  5. Tämä oli kyllä rimanalitus!
  6. Olipa onni onnettomuudessa, että juna oli myöhässä.
  7. Pysytkö sä kärryillä?
  8. Mä en ole nyt kartalla.
  9. Se ei ole pannut tikkua ristiin!
  10. Kuinka sä voit katsoa tätä läpi sormien?
  11. Toivottavasti se ei vedä hernettä nenään.
  12. Tämä tuli ihan puskista!
  13. Mua huijattiin kuusi nolla. 
  14. Mikko teki minulle karhunpalveluksen. 


Here are the clumsy word-for-word translations: 

  1. Mulla on tässä asiassa oma lehmä ojassa. - I have my own cow in the ditch in this matter. 
  2. opin sen kantapään kautta. - I learned it through the heel. 
  3. Se elää kädestä suuhun. - He lives from hand to mouth. 
  4. Sun täytyy vain ottaa itseäsi niskasta kiinni. - You just have to grab yourself from the neck. 
  5. Tämä oli kyllä rimanalitus! - This was definitely a below the bar performance!
  6. Olipa onni onnettomuudessa, että juna oli myöhässä. - What a luck in the accident / misfortune it was that the train was late. 
  7. Pysytkö sä kärryillä? - Can you stay on / not fall down from the wagon?
  8. Mä en ole nyt kartalla. - I'm not on the map right now. 
  9. Se ei ole pannut tikkua ristiin! - He has not put a stick into a formation of an x / a cross.
  10. Kuinka sä voit katsoa tätä läpi sormien? - How can you look at this through your fingers?
  11. Toivottavasti se ei vedä hernettä nenään. - I hope that he won't inhale a pea into his nose.
  12. Tämä tuli ihan puskista! - This came absolutely from the bushes!
  13. Mua huijattiin kuusi nolla. - I was fooled six to zero.
  14. Mikko teki minulle karhunpalveluksen. - Mikko did me a bear's favour. 

Please leave a comment it you don't know when you can use these expressions! I'll keep updating this list, and perhaps ask a native English speaker to come up with matching expressions in English.:)


Related posts: 


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. 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, July 7, 2017

Things to do with kids in Jyväskylä

Are you coming to Jyväskylä with children? Or do you live here and wonder what to do with kids? Here are some fun places to visit and things to do in Jyväskylä in summer:

Free activities:



Other activities:



Who doesn't want to buy a suitcase full of chocolate and licorice from this cute creature?

The best (and the cheapest, as the kids pay only 2,80 €) place to eat with kids is definitely the university cafeteria Ilokivi:


If you like tea, you can leave the children with someone else in your company and enjoy a relaxing cup of tea in Teeleidi on the other side of the road.

If you have more time and a car, these places make a nice day trip from Jyväskylä: 


Missä sinä asut? Mitä kivaa sinun kaupungissasi voi tehdä? 
Where do you live? What are the fun things to do in your town?



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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. 


 

Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Finnish ministers

The Finnish government is called valtioneuvosto or hallitus.
Do you know what these ministers are in English?

  1. Pääministeri
  2. Ulkoasiainministeri
  3. Ulkomaankauppa- ja kehitysministeri
  4. Oikeusministeri
  5. Sisäministeri
  6. Puolustusministeri
  7. Valtiovarainministeri
  8. Kunta- ja uudistusministeri
  9. Opetusministeri
  10. Eurooppa-, kulttuuri- ja urheiluministeri
  11. Maa- ja metsätalousministeri
  12. Liikenne- ja viestintäministeri
  13. Elinkeinoministeri
  14. Työministeri
  15. Sosiaali- ja terveysministeri
  16. Perhe- ja peruspalveluministeri
  17. Asunto-, energia- ja ympäristöministeri


Valtioneuvoston yleisistunto ja presidentin esittely 28.5.2017.
Kuva Viivi Myllylä/Valtioneuvoston kanslia


Here are the translations:

  1. Pääministeri - Prime Minister
  2. Ulkoasiainministeri - Minister for Foreign Affairs
  3. Ulkomaankauppa- ja kehitysministeri - Minister for Foreign Trade and Development
  4. Oikeusministeri - Minister of Justice
  5. Sisäministeri - Minister of the Interior
  6. Puolustusministeri - Minister of Defence
  7. Valtiovarainministeri - Minister of Finance
  8. Kunta- ja uudistusministeri - Minister of Local Goverment and Public Reforms
  9. Opetusministeri - Minister of Education
  10. Eurooppa-, kulttuuri- ja urheiluministeri - Minister for European Affairs, Culture and Sport
  11. Maa- ja metsätalousministeri - Minister for agriculture and Forestry
  12. Liikenne- ja viestintäministeri - Minister of Transport and Communications
  13. Elinkeinoministeri - Minister of Economic Affairs
  14. Työministeri - Minister of Employment
  15. Sosiaali- ja terveysministeri - Minister of Social Affairs and Health
  16. Perhe- ja peruspalveluministeri - Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services
  17. Asunto-, energia- ja ympäristöministeri - Minister of Housing, Energy and the Environment.

You can read more about the Finnish government here. You might also like Helsinki Times and Yle News in English. Try listening to Politiikkaradio, and don't forget the news in easy Finnish. If you like my blog, you might also like my Facebook page and my Instagram account.


p.s. A fun fact: One of the ministers was voted to the sexiest Finnish man in 2016!

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

Monday, July 3, 2017

Finnish words ending with 'sto'

I'm sure that many of you know that kirja and kirjasto mean a book and a library. The meaning of sto is usually a group or a collection of something, but it is not always so obvious. You can try to be creative with this ending, but don't be surprised if people don't understand what you mean.:) Here's a list of quite common words that end with sto. I have put the root word first and the derivated word second. Feel free to share more words and translations in the comments!

  1. aine > aineisto
  2. elin > elimistö
  3. hinta > hinnasto
  4. huone > huoneisto
  5. kirja > kirjasto
  6. kone > koneisto
  7. laiva > laivasto
  8. lehti > lehdistö
  9. luu > luusto
  10. maa > maasto
  11. mies > miehistö
  12. näppäin > näppäimistö
  13. ohjelma > ohjelmisto
  14. osa > osasto
  15. oppi > opisto
  16. saari > saaristo
  17. tieto > tiedosto
  18. tila > tilasto
  19. puu > puisto 
  20. sivu > sivusto
  21. toimi > toimisto
  22. verkko > verkosto
  23. virka > virasto
  24. vuori > vuoristo
  25. väki > väestö
  26. ympäri > ympäristö

Notice that quite often you need the plural stem before the sto ending 

  • ohjelma > ohjelmisto
  • aine > aineisto

If a short (one or two syllables) noun ends with an a, o or u, the sto is added to the singular stem. 

  • kirja > kirjasto
  • tieto > tiedosto

The words ending with have either singular or plural stem.

  • väki > väestö
  • vuori > vuoristo




Translations:

  1. aine > aineisto - material > data
  2. elin > elimistö - an organ > a body, an organism
  3. hinta > hinnasto - a price, a price list
  4. huone > huoneisto - a room > a set of rooms, a suite
  5. kirja > kirjasto - a book > a library
  6. kone > koneisto - a machine > a machinery
  7. laiva > laivasto - a boat, a ship > a navy
  8. lehti > lehdistö  - a newspaper / magazine > press
  9. luu > luusto - a bone > the bones (NOT a graveyard, although that would be very logical!)
  10. maa > maasto - land > a ground, a terrain
  11. mies > miehistö - a man > a crew
  12. näppäin > näppäimistö - a button, a key > a keyboard
  13. osa > osasto - a part > a department
  14. ohjelma > ohjelmisto - a programme > a software, a repertoire
  15. oppi > opisto - learning > a college, an institute
  16. saari > saaristo - an island > an archipelago
  17. tieto > tiedosto - knowledge > a data file
  18. tila > tilasto - a place, a state > statistics
  19. puu > puisto - a tree > a park (Yes, this is a plural stem. There is also puusto which means the trees of a certain area.)
  20. sivu > sivusto - a page > a (web)site
  21. toimi > toimisto - a chore, a task > an office
  22. verkko > verkosto - a web > a network
  23. virka > virasto - a public office/ position > a bureau
  24. vuori > vuoristo - a mountain > a range of mountains
  25. väki > väestö - a crowd > a population
  26. ympäri > ympäristö - around > environment

Sometimes sto-words can also be nouns derived from verb type 1 verbs.


  • muistaa > muisto - to remember > a memory
  • kestää > kesto - to last > duration
  • estää > esto - to block > a block

Sometimes words can end with sto without having a root word, such as juusto, cheese. 


If you like these kind of posts, you can check out all the noun type blog posts I have written. And don't forget Iso suomen kielioppi!


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.