Showing posts with label Cases - Sijamuodot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cases - Sijamuodot. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 3, 2026

How to say from where to where in Finnish

Here are phrases answering the question mistä mihin? - from where to where? Which one is your favourite?


Time expressions


  1. aamusta iltaan - from morning to evening
  2. ajasta ikuisuuteen - from time to eternity
  3. maanantaista perjantaihin - from Monday to Friday
  4. joulusta uuteenvuoteen - from Christmas to New Year's Day
  5. kesästä talveen - from summer to winter
  6. lauantaiaamusta sunnuntai-iltaan - from Saturday morning to Sunday evening
  7. päivästä päivään - from day to day
  8. tammikuun alusta maaliskuun loppuun - from the beginning of January to the end of March
  9. tammikuusta maaliskuuhun - from January to March
  10. vuodesta 2021 vuoteen 2023 - from 2021 to 2023

Check out my post about other time expressions in Finnish.


Physical places


  1. Hangosta Petsamoon - from Hanko to Petsamo (from one end of Finland to the other)
  2. Jyväskylästä Tampereelle - from Jyväskylä to Tampere
  3. päästä päähän - from end to end
  4. Rovaniemeltä Kuopioon - from Rovaniemi to Kuopio
  5. töistä kotiin - from work to home
  6. vasemmalta oikealle - from left to right
  7. viemäristä alas - down the drain
  8. ylhäältä alas - from top to bottom


Expressions with body parts


  1. kädestä suuhun - from hand to mouth
  2. päästä varpaisiin - from head to toes
  3. silmästä silmään - from eye to eye
  4. suusta suuhun -  from mouth to mouth


Something else, or figuratively speaking


  1. alusta loppuun - from start to finish
  2. kannesta kanteen - from cover to cover
  3. kriisistä kriisiin - from crisis to crisis
  4. kukasta kukkaan - from flower to flower
  5. laidasta laitaan - from side to side
  6. lattiasta kattoon - from floor to ceiling
  7. maasta taivaaseen - from earth to heaven
  8. tunnelmasta toiseen - from one mood to another
  9. ojasta allikkoon - from a ditch to a pond (from the frying pan into the fire)
  10. ryysyistä rikkauksiin - from rags to riches
  11. tuumasta toimeen - from thought to deed (from words to action)

Common expressions with only illative or allative


  1. Hornetit ilmaan! - F/A-18 Hornets into the air!
  2. Torille! - To the market square! (Or the parking lot in front of the Olympic stadion)
  3. Korkkarit kattoon! - Heels to the ceiling! (Kaija Koo: Supernaiset)




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

Saturday, February 8, 2025

Case by Case Online Finnish Course by Finking Cap

Would you like to master the Finnish case system? In a fun way, with a wonderful teacher?

My friend and colleague Emmi Seppälä from Finking Cap Club has put together an amazing course with 127 video lessons. Click here to read a detailed course syllabus and watch an introduction video. If you buy the 79 euro course through my affiliate link, I'll get a small commission. 

Thank you for reading this, and perhaps also supporting two independent entrepreneurs! :)



Read my previous posts about Emmi and Finking Cap:


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

Friday, May 24, 2024

Object or adverbial? (A post about Finnish grammar)

The object in Finnish grammar can sometimes be confusing, because a clause element that feels like an object might actually be an adverbial.

 
Sentences with an object


These are object sentences. Notice the partitive in a negative sentence.

  • Minä ymmärrän kysymyksen. - I understand the question.
  • Minä en ymmärrä kysymystä. - I don't understand the question.

  • Tarvitsen uuden laukun. - I need a new bag.
  • En tarvitse uutta laukkua. - I don't need a new bag.

In Finnish grammar, the object can be in five different cases


  • Kysyin hyvän kysymyksen. - I asked a good question.
  • En muista kysymystä. - I don't remember the question.
  • Kysy edes yksi kysymys! - Ask at least one question!
  • Unohdin kaikki kysymykset. - I forgot all the questions.
  • Opiskelijat kysyivät paljon kysymyksiä. - The students asked a lot of questions. 

(We also have an accusative, but not in these sentences.)
You can read more about the object cases in this post
Here's a list of very common object sentences


Sentences with an adverbial


Here comes the weird part: These are sentences with an adverbial, although in some other languages, they would be object sentences. Sometimes my students ask why the noun isn't in partitive although the sentence is negative.

  • Minä vastaan kysymykseen. - I'll answer the question.
  • Minä en vastaa kysymykseen. - I won't answer the question.

  • Tykkään kahvista. - I like coffee.
  • En tykkää kahvista. - I don't like coffee.

'Kysymykseen' and 'kahvista' can't be objects in Finnish, because they are in illative and elative cases, which is what the verbs 'vastata' and 'tykätä' require.
    In short, if the verb has some kind of case government, the adverbial (which you might think is an object) remains in the same case even if the sentence is negative. 

    I hope this was helpful, not more confusing. 

    Uusi kielemme has wonderful lists about verbs that require the adverbials to be in a certain case:


    It also has a list of the MA infinites that certain verbs require: 


    And a list of so called partitive verbs: 

    Voit lukea suomeksi lisää objektista esimerkiksi täältä:





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

    Wednesday, February 1, 2023

    How to use the Finnish word 'ilta'

    Here's a little post about ilta, an evening, and consonant change.

    These four cases have a strong grade: 


    • nominative: Se oli kiva ilta. - It was a nice evening.
    • partitive: En halua ajatella sitä iltaa. - I don't want to think about that night.
    • illative: Opiskelin iltaan asti. - I studied until evening.
    • essive: Tänä iltana se tapahtuu! - Tonight it will happen!


    All the other cases have a weak grade: 


    • genitive: Muistan sen illan. - I remember that night.
    • inessive: Luin koko kirjan yhdessä illassa. - I read the whole book in one night.
    • elative: Illasta tuli tosi mukava. - The evening turned out really nice. 
    • adessive:  Nähdään illalla! - See you in the evening!
    • ablative:  Se kuulostaa kivalta illalta. - It sounds like a nice evening.
    • allative: Kurssi on jaettu kolmelle illalle  - The course is divided for three nights.
    • translative: Osta huomisillaksi limsaa. - Buy some pop/soda for tomorrow night. 


    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. 

    Sunday, May 31, 2020

    How to swear in Finnish

    I don't want to encourage anyone to swear in any language, but here's a small post about the grammar of swearing in Finnish. Feel free to try out the structures with any swear word you like. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. 

    Notice that the translations on italics are word-for-word translations and I know they sound a bit strange. :)


    Things to say when you can't say perkele.


    1. The nominative is often used with interjecitons voi, ei and no. Also with the command haista, which means smell.


    • Voi helvetti! - Oh hell!
    • Voi perse. - Oh ass.
    • Ei helvetti! - Hell no!
    • No perkele! - Well, damn it!
    • Haista paska! - Smell shit!

    2. A swear word in genitive makes the following adjective or another swear word stronger. You can also add a swear word in genitive after joka, every.


    • Se oli helvetin vaikea koe. - It was a damned difficult exam.
    • Voi helvetin helvetin helvetti! - Oh helling hell's hell!
    • Voi helvetin perse. - Oh hell's ass. 
    • Mun naapuri käy suihkussa joka helvetin yö. - My neighbour takes a shower every f*cking night. 


    3. A swear word in partitive is often used with a question word mitä, an interrogative particle ko, or with a postposition päin, towards.


    • Mitä helvettä täällä tapahtuu? - What the hell is happening here?
    • Vittuako se sulle kuuluu? - How's that any of your f*cking business?
    • Vittuuks sä siitä mitään tiedät? - How the f*ck would you know anything about it? 
    • Kaikki meni päin helvettiä. - Everything went towards hell. 


    4. When things go wrong, you can also use translative plural or allative, depending on the swear word. (As you can see, I translated the expressions word-for-word.)


    • Vituiksi meni! - It turned into multiple vaginas. (You can also say Vituiks män and impress the Eastern dialect speakers!)
    • Se meni ihan perseelleen. - It went totally onto one's ass. 

    5. Use the swear word in inessive after totta to express that something is very true. You can always put a swear word in inessive after missä.


    • Totta helvetissä! - True in hell! 
    • Ei helvetissä! - No way in hell!
    • Missä helvetissä sinä olet ollut? - Where the hell have you been?

    6. The elative is often used when asking where something came from, but it's also used in other expressions.


    • Mistä helvetistä tuo tuli? - Where the hell did that come from?
    • Helvetistäkö minä tiedän? - How the hell do I know? (Is it from the hell that I know?)

    7. Use the illative if you want to wish another person to go (or sink) somewhere. 


    • Painu helvettiin! - Go to hell!

    Learn to swear with Sari in Juurihoito!. :)  


    Read and watch more:



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

    Thursday, May 21, 2020

    Long words in plural partitive

    I don't even have a general post about the formation of plural partitive, but just for the fun of it, here's something about the words that have three or more syllables. The partitive ending depends on the ending of the word. Sometimes it even whether the word is a noun or an adjective.

    In short, you add the plural marker and the partitive ending to the singular stem. Some vowel changes might happen, but you can always see that there's the i (or j) and either a or ta.

    The plural partitive ending can be one of these:


    • ia as in koira > koiria (dogs) or suomalainen > suomalaisia (Finns)
    • ja as in kissa > kissoja (cats) or tomaatti > tomaatteja (tomatoes)
    • ita as in kone > koneita (machines) or porkkana > porkkanoita (carrots)

    Which vowel you have before the plural i or j is another thing. 
    Also, sometimes there are two possible partitive endings, but I've chosen the one that is more commonly used. For example, you can say either mansikkoja or mansikoita, but mansikoita is more common.




    1. In general, if the (3 or more syllable) word ends with o, ö, u or y, just add -ita or -ja. Usually both are correct, but the other one sounds a bit better.

    • vartalo >  vartaloita (bodies)
    • numero > numeroita (numbers)
    • laatikko > laatikoita (boxes) 
    • henkilö > henkilöitä (people)
    • jäätelötötterö > jäätelötötteröitä  (ice cream cones)
    • kävely > kävelyitä (walks)
    • puraisu > puraisuja (bites)

    2. Also these long words ending with a or ä have -oita or -öitä in plural partitive: 


    -la or -lä

    • ravintola > ravintoloita (restaurants)
    • kylpylä > kylpylöitä (spas)

    -na or -nä

    • porkkana > porkkanoita (carrots)
    • peruna > perunoita (potatoes)
    • lakana > lakanoita (sheets)
    • pähkinä > pähkinöitä (nuts)

    -ra or -rä

    • makkara > makkaroita (sausages)
    • kitara > kitaroita (guitars)
    • kihara > kiharoita (curls)
    • ympyrä > ympyröitä (circles)

    -kka or -kkä 

    • mansikka > mansikoita (strawberries)
    • mustikka > mustikoita (blueberries /bilberries)
    • kirsikka > kirsikoita (cherries)
    • kännykkä > kännyköitä (mobile phones)

    -ija or -ijä

    • opiskelija > opiskelijoita (students)
    • tutkija > tutkijoita (researchers, scholars)
    • halailija > halailijoita (huggers)
    • näyttelijä > näyttelijöitä (actors)


    3. The plural partitive ending is -ia or -iä with these long words:


    -nen, -in, -ton or -tön

    • ihminen > ihmisiä (people, humans)
    • suomalainen > suomalaisia (Finns)
    • puhelin > puhelimia (phones)
    • koditon > kodittomia (homeless, plural)
    • älytön > älyttömiä (insane, plural)

    -os and -as, if it's pineapple.:)

    • kokous > kokouksia (meetings)
    • rakennus > rakennuksia (buildings)
    • ananas > ananaksia (pineapples)

    -ma or -mä

    • asema > asemia (stations)
    • elämä > elämiä (lives)

    -va or -vä

    • kanava > kanavia (channels)
    • painava > painavia (heavy, plural)
    • mukava > mukavia (nice, comfortable, plural)
    • rasittava > rasittavia (annoying, plural)
    • ystävä > ystäviä (friends)

    -aja or -äjä

    • opettaja > opettajia (teachers)
    • kuljettaja > kuljettajia (drivers)

    Notice that some adjectives (even if they end with la, na or ra) also belong to this category.

    • kamala > kamalia (horrible, plural)
    • matala > matalia (low, plural)
    • ihana > ihania (lovely, plural)
    • kihara > kiharia (curly, plural)

    4. The plural partitive ending is -eita or -eitä with these long words: 


    -li or -ri 

    • sipuli >  sipuleita (onions)
    • kameli > kameleita (camel)
    • lääkäri > lääkäreitä (doctors)
    • pilleri > pillereitä (pills)

    -nut or -nyt

    • väsynyt > väsyneitä (tired, plural)
    • kadonnut > kadonneita (lost, plural)

    -e

    • parveke > parvekkeita (balconies)
    • esite > esitteitä (brochures)

    5. The plural partitive ending is -aita or -äitä.  


    as or äs

    • arvokas > arvokkaita (valuable, plural)
    • älykäs > älykkäitä (smart, plural)

    6. The plural partitive ending is -eja or -ejä. 


    -ti, -ni, -li and -vi

    • tomaatti > tomaatteja (tomatoes)
    • timantti > timantteja (diamonds)
    • banaani > banaaneja (bananas)
    • fossiili > fossiileja (fossils)
    • kirahvi > kirahveja (giraffes)


     So, in order to know the correct ending, you have to do...


    1. think about the number of syllables in the word.
    2. think about the first vowel, if the word has two syllables and it ends with an a or ä. 
    3. think about the end of the word.
    4. know if the word is an adjective that just happens to have a certain ending in plural partitive.
    5. know if the word is a compound word in which case you only look at the last part of the word.

    All these words end with la, but have three kinds of plural partitive endings:


    • kala > kaloja (fish, plural)
    • rulla > rullia (rolls)
    • kamala > kamalia (horrible, plural)
    • ravintola > ravintoloita (restaurants)
    • mustekala > mustekaloja (squids) 


    Lue lisää: 


    Tuesday, October 29, 2019

    A super interesting plural partitive detail

    Here's something cool about the plural partitive, or the plural stems in general, but let's not go too deep.

    First, the basic words and their meanings:

    • koira = a dog
    • juna = a train
    • kissa = a cat
    • kala = a fish
    • vessa = a bathroom, a toilet

    All there words have two syllables and an a in the end. However, the plural partitive is different. MIKSI?

    • koira > koiria
    • juna > junia
    • kissa > kissoja 
    • kala > kaloja
    • vessa > vessoja



    The answer is in the first vowel of the word!


    If the first vowel is O or U, the ending is IA:


    • koira > koiria
    • juna > junia

    also

    • muna (an egg)  > munia 
    • kukka (a flower) > kukkia
    • turha (pointless, useless) > turhia
    • sota (a war) > sotia
    • poika (a boy) > poikia

    If the first vowel is A, E or I, the ending is OJA:


    • kissa > kissoja 
    • kala > kaloja
    • vessa > vessoja

    also

    • kana (a chicken)  > kanoja
    • sana (a word) > sanoja
    • hella (a stove) > helloja
    • vika (a fault) > vikoja
    • sika (a pig) > sikoja


    If you have Finnish friends, ask if they know about this. :)



    Lue lisää: 




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

    Monday, February 5, 2018

    The instructive case in Finnish

    Instruktiivi is kind of cool. Quite often, it means with something, but not always. You form it by adding -n to the plural stem of the noun or to the e infinite of a verb: 

    • paljas jalka > Sä et voi mennä sinne paljain jaloin!  - You cannot go there barefeet!
    • oma silmä > Mä näin sen omin silmin. - I saw it with my own eyes.
    • lähteä > Mistä lähtien tämä on ollut näin? - Since when has this been like this?


    I'm sure that you've heard or seen at least some of these expressions:


    Ajanilmauksia - Time expressions

    1. aamuin illoin
    2. hyvissä ajoin
    3. päivin öin
    4. viiden minuutin välein

    Paikkoja - Places

    1. monin paikoin
    2. paikoin

    Exressions with body parts: 

    1. ehjin nahoin
    2. kaksin käsin
    3. kuivin suin
    4. kynsin ja hampain
    5. likaisin käsin
    6. molemmin käsin
    7. paljain jaloin
    8. paljain varpain
    9. pitkin hampain
    10. puhtain käsin
    11. selvin päin
    12. tyhjin käsin
    13. täysin rinnoin

    Sekalaisia tapoja - Miscellaneous ways of doing things

    1. avoimin mielin
    2. hädin tuskin
    3. iloisin mielin
    4. kaikin voimin
    5. monin tavoin
    6. omin pikku kätösin
    7. omin sanoin
    8. omin silmin
    9. pienin askelin
    10. sankoin joukoin
    11. suurin odotuksin
    12. suurin piirtein
    13. toisin päin
    14. tuskin
    15. täysin palkein
    16. vähin äänin
    17. yksin
    18. ystävällisin terveisin



    Here are the translations:


    Ajanilmauksia - Time expressions

    1. aamuin illoin - every morning and every evening
    2. hyvissä ajoin - well in advance
    3. päivin öin - during the days and nights
    4. viiden minuutin välein - every five minutes (= with five minute spaces)

    Paikkoja - Places

    1. monin paikoin - in many places
    2. paikoin - in some places (often in weather forcasts)

    Exressions with body parts: 

    1. ehjin nahoin - with intact skin, without hurting oneself
    2. kaksin käsin - with two hands
    3. kuivin suin - with dry mouths, without drinking anything
    4. kynsin ja hampain - with nails and teeth (= very eagerly, very hard!)
    5. likaisin käsin - with dirty hands
    6. molemmin käsin - with both hands
    7. paljain jaloin - barefeet
    8. paljain varpain - barefeet, with bare toes
    9. pitkin hampain - with long teeth (= not wanting to do something)
    10. puhtain käsin - with clean hands
    11. selvin päin - soberly (= with clear head(s)
    12. tyhjin käsin - with empty hands
    13. täysin rinnoin - wholeheartedly (= with full chests / breasts, very eagerly in a positive way)

    Sekalaisia tapoja - Miscellaneous ways of doing things

    1. avoimin mielin - with open mind(s)
    2. hädin tuskin - hardly (hätä = emergency, tuska = agony, pain)
    3. iloisin mielin - happily,  with happy mind(s)
    4. kaikin voimin - with all strenght
    5. monin tavoin - in many ways
    6. omin pikku kätösin - with one's own little hands (often used in a humorous way)
    7. omin sanoin - with one's own words
    8. omin silmin - with one's own eyes
    9. pienin askelin - with small steps
    10. sankoin joukoin - with thick crowds of people, a lot of people 
    11. suurin odotuksin - with great expectations
    12. suurin piirtein = approximately (= with big features)
    13. toisin päin = the other way round
    14. tuskin = hardly (tuska is pain)
    15. täysin palkein = at full throttle (= with full bellows)
    16. vähin äänin = with a small amount of sound, without drawing attention
    17. yksin - alone
    18. ystävällisin terveisin - with friendly greetings

    Notice that you can also add instructive to the e-infinitive of a verb:


    • kävellä > kävellen > Menetkö kotiin bussilla vai kävellen? - Will you go home by bus or on foot?
    • vuorotella > vuorotellen > Lukekaa nämä lauseet vuorotellen. - Each of you read these sentences in turn. 
    • johtua > johtuen > Konsertti on peruttu sairastapauksesta johtuen. - The concert is cancelled due to a fact that someone got ill.
    • sanoa > sanoen > Toisin sanoen hän on idiootti. - In other words, he's an idiot. (toisin sanoen = saying in another way)
    • puhua > puhuen > Totta puhuen en tiedä. - Speaking the truth, I don't know.
    • lähteä > lähtien > Mistä lähtien sinä olet puhunut Kiinaa? - Since when have you spoken Chinese? (mistä lähtien = leaving from where)
    • juosta > juosten  > Tämä talo on juosten kustu! - This house is built very poorly. (juosten kustu = peed while running = not done very well)
    • poiketa > poiketen > ennakkotiedoista poiketen - differing from the earlier information
    • huomioida > huomioiden > turvavälit huomioiden - making sure that there will be a social distance

    Useful links:




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

    Thursday, December 14, 2017

    How to use the fascinating essive case in Finnish

    I haven't really written anything about the essive case, because this excellent web page already exists. However, here are more sentences where the word in essive answers the questions How? and In what way?

    • Katsoin uutisia huolestuneena. - I watched the news feeling worried.
    • Istuin väsyneenä bussissa. - I sat on the bus feeling tired. 
    • En voinut mennä kouluun sairaana. - I couldn't go to school ill.
    • Soitin surullisena äidille. - I called mom and I was sad. 
    • Lähdin vihaisena kuntosalille. - I went (left) to the gym in an angry mood.
    • Tulin virkistyneenä kotiin. - I came home refreshed.



    Notice the difference between the adverb (often a word ending with sti) and the essive form of the adjective:


    • "Hei", hän sanoi iloisena. - "Hei", she said happily. (She was happy.)
    • "Hei", hän sanoi iloisesti. - "Hei", she said happily. (In a happy manner, in a happy tone of voice.)
    • Hän tanssi tyylikkäänä. - He danced dressed stylishly. (The person was stylish.)
    • Hän tanssi tyylikkäästi. - He danced stylishly. (The dancing was stylish.)

    Kiehtovaa, eikö olekin? - Fascinating, isn't it?


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

    – Hanna 


    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:


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    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, February 16, 2017

    Partitiivi vai genetiivi?

    I already have a post about the object, but here are some simple examples about the difference between the genitive and partitive cases in an object sentence:

    • Mä haluan ton kirjan. - I want that book.
    • Mä en halua tota kirjaa. - I don't want that book. (Because the sentence is negative.)

    • Mikko osti kanan. - Mikko bought a chicken. (A whole bird.)
    • Mikko osti kanaa. - Mikko bought chicken. (Some chicken meat.)

    • ostan kahvin. - I'll buy a cup of coffee. 
    • Mä ostan kahvia. - I'll buy some coffee. 

    • Luin junassa kirjan. - I read a book on the train. (I finished the book.)
    • Luin junassa kirjaa. - I was reading a book on the train. (Haven't finished the book yet.)

    • Poliisi ampui miehen. - A police shot a man. (And the man died.)
    • Poliisi ampui miestä. - A police shot at a man. (The man is hurt but alive.)

    p.s. My post Describing things has more about the fascinating partitive case!


    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, September 15, 2016

    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.

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