Spring in Finland

I'm sure that most of you have already seen this video, but now there's also one with English subtitles:

(Yay, this was the first time I embedded a video from Facebook to my blog. Se oli helppoa!)

Here's my top 5 things to wear (or at least have ready for use) ALL YEAR ROUND in Finland:

1. pipo -  a beanie / a winter hat
2. villasukat - wool socks
3. pitkät kalsarit - long underwear 
4. kauluri - a neckwarmer
5. toppahousut - quilted pants / thick outside pants

Also kind of related:

• How to get dressed in Finnish
• Aurinko
• Feeling verbs

Easy Finnish ebook for schoolkid's parents

I've never re-posted anything before in this blog, but I felt that this is a good time to remind you about my ebook in easy Finnish. I wrote it about a year ago, and after that, I've been simplifying four novels and a collection of Aku Ankka cartoons. They should all be published later this year, and you'll be the first ones to hear about it!

Being a big fan of Selkouutiset, Selkosanomat and other things written in easy Finnish, I wanted to try writing selkokieli myself. My e-book is called Opas koululaisen vanhemmille, A guide for a schoolkid's parents, and it's all in relatively easy and simple Finnish.

I decided that anyone can download and read the book, but it would also be really nice if  people paid something, let's say 8 € (or even more if you are a super fan of my blog!).

You can pay through PayPal or put money directly to my bank account. 
My account number is FI45 2043 1800 0098 65 and the BIC code is NDEA FIHH. 
The price includes the 24 % VAT, and of course, I'll pay the normal taxes after that.

Kiitos! :)

Please share this with your friends who might be interested in the book!

You can also suggest new topics for easy Finnish e-books. I kind of have a feeling that people would like to have something about writing in Finnish. What do you think about that?

p.s. Would you like to read my posts in your email? Use the desktop version, and you'll find the subscribe button on the top of the right-hand bar.

Vastaan

Vastaan is a handy postposition. I'd say that these two are the most common uses. For more examples, check out Kielitoimiston sanakirja.

Against:

• Mulla ei ole mitään sua vastaan.  - I have nothing against you.
• Onko sulla jotain tätä vastaan? - Do you have something against this?
• Suomi pelaa tänä iltana Ruotsia vastaan. - Finland will play against Sweden tonight.

To the direction facing the other person:

• Mä voin tulla asemalle vastaan. - I can come and meet you at the station.
• Mä kävelen sua vastaan.  - I'll walk up to meet you.
• Kiva kun olit asemalla vastassa. - It was nice that you were waiting for me at the station..

Notice that there's also vasta, but that's another thing.
Here's a nice song about vastaan: Chisu: Tuu mua vastaan

Sentence starters in Finnish

Whenever you have to say or write your opinion, these phrases might come in handy:

1. Luin lehdestä, että... I read in the newspaper that....
2. Olen sitä mieltä, että... - I'm of that opinion that...
3. Olen varma, että... - I'm sure that...
4. Ajattelen, että... - I think that...
5. Luulen, että...  - I think that... (but I'm not sure!)
6. Olen kuullut, että... - I've heard that...
7. Olen lukenut, että... - I've read that...
8. Olen huomannut, että.. - I've noticed that...
9. Olen kerran nähnyt, kuinka... - I've once seen how...
10. Olen aina miettinyt, miksi... - I've always wondered why...
11. On mahdollista, että... - It's possible that...
12. Voin olla väärässä, mutta... - I may be wrong, but...
13. Totta puhuen - Telling the truth
14. Rehellisesti sanottuna - Honestly said

Always useful to review:

• Past tense in a nutshell 
• Spoken language tips

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.

Birthday card in Finnish (and exciting easy Finnish news!)

Are you looking for a fun birthday card for a friend? Feel free to print this PDF, glue it on cardboard and circle what you want to express! You can also leave the card like it is and let your friend figure out what you maybe want to say.



Here's the exciting news: I cannot take any new private students right now until I've finished my writing projects, but I have a real book in easy Finnish coming out this summer! I've been simplifying Salla Simukka's Punainen kuin veri, and it's ready to be approved by Selkokeskus and printed. I've also put together a free Teachable online course, so that reading the easy Finnish young adult novel would be even more fun and effective. The book will most likely be sold on this Avain website, but I'll definitely advertise it here are well!

Unelmahommissa - Having a dream job

Do you have a friend who is always complaining about his or her job? Are you dreaming of being self-employed or starting a side business?

I just finished reading this book, and I can strongly recommend it for anyone who is interested in starting their own business or making money by writing a blog. The book is written by two Finnish ladies who are also the authors of Salamatkustaja and Lähiömutsi blogs. The book is in Finnish, but it's definitely worth a try even if you've never read an entire book in Finnish. The book is also a great gift for a friend who is in need of a change in their professional life.:)

Yki-kuntoon kahdessa viikossa

This post is inspired by a student of mine who is going to take the Yki exam in two weeks. It's only in Finnish, but since you're going to the intermediate level test, you can handle that.:) 

Seuraava Yki-testi on kahden viikon kuluttua! Tässä linkissä on sinulle treeniohjelma, jonka avulla voit opiskella tehokkaasti ja valmistautua testiin. Tulosta ohjelma ja laita se näkyvälle paikalle kotiisi ja työpaikallesi, niin muut ihmiset voivat kannustaa ja muistuttaa sinua opiskelemaan suomea.

• Aloita tutustumalla näihin blogipostauksiin.
• Kaikki on kiinni ajankäytöstä. Yritä tehdä mahdollisimman paljon asioita suomeksi.
• Kuuntele vain suomenkielistä musiikkia.
• Katso vain suomenkielisiä tv-sarjoja ja elokuvia tai lue ainakin suomenkielistä tekstitystä. 
• Pyydä, että kaverisi puhuvat sinulle suomea. Jos tuntemattomat yrittävät puhua sinulle englantia, sano, ettet osaa englantia. 
• Älä juo alkoholia ja peru kaikki sovitut tapaamiset ja harrastukset, jotka voit perua. (Tai voit juoda vähän alkoholia, mutta vain jos se auttaa sinua puhumaan suomea!)
• Tee valmiiksi ruokaa pakastimeen (tai syö ulkona), niin että et käytä aikaasi ruoanlaittoon.
• Mene ajoissa nukkumaan ja herää aikaisin opiskelemaan suomea.

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

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 selkokirja. Se voi olla yllättävän helppoa ja kivaa!
www.privatefinnishlessons.com/books

How to use the Finnish word 'pokka'

Olla pokkaa is quite close to have some nerve. The word pokka comes from pokerinaama, a pokerface. Here are some sentences that might help you get the idea:

• Miten sulla on pokkaa sanoa noin? - How can you say like that?
• Mulla ei ole pokkaa pyytää lisää palkkaa. - I don't have the guts to ask for more salary. 
• Mulla ei olisi pokkaa tehdä noin. - I wouldn't dare to do like that. 
• No on sillä pokkaa! - Well s/he's got some nerve!
• Sen pokka petti. - He bursted into laughter.

Finnish songs with pokka:

• Irina - Pokka 
• Haloo Helsinki! - Jos mun pokka pettää
• Haloo Helsinki! Ruisrockissa 2014 (Jos mun pokka pettää 8:50)

Kiitos, kun luit! Jos pidit postauksesta, voit jakaa sen eteenpäin.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it. 
– Hanna

Tilaa uutiskirjeeni - Subscribe to my newsletter 

www.privatefinnishlessons.com 

How to use the Finnish word 'kausi'

Kausi is usually a season or a period.
Do you now the meaning of these compound words with kausi?

1. jääkausi
2. kausikortti
3. kausimaku
4. kausituote
5. kivikausi
6. kuukausi
7. lukukausi
8. satokausi
9. terassikausi
10. vuorokausi
11. välikausi

Here are the translations:

1. jääkausi - an ice age 
2. kausikortti - a season ticket
3. kausimaku - a seasonal flavour
4. kausituote - a seasonal product
5. kivikausi - a stone age
6. kuukausi - a month
7. lukukausi - an academic term
8. vuorokausi - a period of 24 hours
9. satokausi - a harvest season
10. terassikausi - a terrace season (whenever it's not to cold to sit outside)
11. välikausi - a season between seasons (usually means spring or fall)

Terassikausi on alkanut.

p.s. Kausi belongs to the same group of words than uusi, so it declinates kausi: kauden: kautta: kausia.  If you are a partitive lover, check out my Partitiividrilli in Memrise.

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. 

Talking about nowhere and somewhere in Finnish

How to talk about nowhere and somewhere in Finnish? I hope this small post is useful to you.

Mistä? - From where?

• ei mistään - from nowhere
• jostain, jostakin - from somewhere
• Mä en löydä sitä mistään! - I can't find it anywhere!
• Etsi se nyt vain jostain. - Just find it from somewhere now.

Missä? - Where?

• ei missään - nowhere
• jossain, jossakin - somewhere
• Se ei ole missään. - It's not anywhere.
• Sen on pakko olla jossain. - It has to be somewhere.

Minne? Mihin? - To where?

• ei minnekään, ei mihinkään - to nowhere
• jonnekin, johonkin - to somewhere
• Mä en laittanut sitä minnekään / mihinkään. - I didn't put it anywhere.
• Mä näin kun sä laitoit sen jonnekin / johonkin. - I saw that you put it somewhere.

More posts about the Finnish language:

• Joka, joku and jokin
• Talking about nothing in Finnish
• jo-words in Finnish 
• Fighting in Finnish
• Local endings

Kiitos, kun luit! Jos pidit postauksesta, voit jakaa sen eteenpäin.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it. 
– Hanna

Tilaa uutiskirjeeni - Subscribe to my newsletter 

www.privatefinnishlessons.com