How to use the Finnish verbs 'tuntea', 'tuntua' ja 'tutustua'

Tuntea is to know or feel, tuntua is to feel or to seem like something and tutustua is to get to know someone. If you ever hear people calling something mututieto or mututuntuma,  it means that they don't really know the facts, but they base their argument on how they feel about something or what something seems like. Mutu is an abbreviation of musta tuntuu.

Tuntea, tunnen, tunsin, tuntenut

• Mä tunnen sun siskon. - I know your sister.
• Minä en tunne täältä ketään.  - I don't know anybody from here.
• Tunnetko sinä, kuinka maa tärisee? - Do you feel how the earth is shaking?
• Minä en tunne mitään oikealla kädellä. - I don't feel anything with my right hand.

If you want to describe how you feel, I'd recommend that you avoid this verb and just use olla and an adjective, or the word olo, feeling.  You can also use tuntua, which is next on this list. However, here's how it's done:

• I feel myself tired and betrayed. - Tunnen itseni väsyneeksi ja petetyksi. (tuntea + itse + possessive suffix + adjective in translative case)

These expressions are much easier:

• I'm tired. - Olen väsynyt.
• Mulla on petetty olo. - I feel betreyed. (I have a betrayed feeling.)

Tuntua, tunnun, tunnuin, tuntunut

• Miltä tämä tuntuu? - What does this feel like? 
• Tuntuuko tämä hyvältä? - Does this feel good? Does this seem good? 
• Se tuntui oudolta. - If felt weird. 
• Mikään ei tunnu enää miltään! - Nothing feels like anything anymore!
• Miltä susta tuntuu? - How do you feel?
• Musta tuntuu (siltä), että tämä on hyvä ratkaisu. - It seems to me that this is a good solution. 
• Musta tuntui tyhmältä. - I felt stupid. 

Tutustua, tutustun, tutustuin, tutustunut

• On kiva tutustua uusiin ihmisiin. - It's nice to get to know new people.
• Missä te tutustuitte? - Where did you get to know each other?
• Me tutustuttiin lukiossa. - We got to know each other in high school.

You might also want to use the verb tavata, to meet someone.

• Mä olen tavannut sen pari kertaa, mutta en vielä tunne sitä kovin hyvin. - I've met him a couple of times, but I don't know him very well yet. (Yes, in formal Finnish, the pronouns would be hänet and häntä.)

If this was useful, you can also read my post How do you feel 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.