Important Words and Phrases
- kyllä – yes
- joo – yes (informal)
- ei – no
- en – I will not / I do not
- minä, sinä, hän (se) – I, you, he/she(it)
- me, te, he (ne) – we, you (two or more), they
- (minä) olen – I am
- (sinä) olet – you are (singular)
- te olette – you are (plural)
- (minä) en ole – I am not
- (sinä) et ole – You are not
- yksi, kaksi, kolme – one, two, three
- neljä, viisi, kuusi – four, five, six
- seitsemän, kahdeksan – seven, eight
- yhdeksän, kymmenen – nine, ten
- yksitoista, kaksitoista, kolmetoista – eleven, twelve, thirteen
- sata, tuhat, miljoona – hundred, thousand, million
- (minä) rakastan sinua – I love you
- kiitos – thank you
- anteeksi – forgive me, excuse me, sorry
- voitko auttaa – can you help
- apua! – help!
- voisit(te)ko auttaa – could you help
- missä ... on? – where is ...?
- olen pahoillani – I'm sorry (apology)
- otan osaa – My condolences
- onnea – good luck
- totta kai/tietysti/toki – of course
- pieni hetki, pikku hetki, hetkinen – one moment please!
- odota – wait
- missä on vessa? – where is the bathroom?
- Suomi – Finland
- suomi/suomen kieli – Finnish language
- suomalainen – (noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
- En ymmärrä – I don't understand
- (Minä) ymmärrän – I understand
- ¹Ymmärrät(te)kö suomea? – Do you understand Finnish?
- ¹Puhut(te)ko englantia? – Do you speak English?
- Olen englantilainen / amerikkalainen / kanadalainen / australialainen / uusiseelantilainen / irlantilainen / skotlantilainen / walesilainen / ranskalainen / saksalainen / kiinalainen / japanilainen – I am English / American / Canadian / Australian / New Zealander / Irish / Scottish / Welsh / French / German / Chinese / Japanese
- ¹Olet(te)ko englantilainen? – Are you English?
- Missä (sinä) asut/¹Missä (te) asutte? – Where do you live?
¹ -te is added to make the sentence formal (T-V distinction). Otherwise, without the added "-te", it is informal. It is also added when talking to more than one person. The transition from second-person singular to second-person plural (teitittely) is a politeness pattern, advised by many "good manners guides". Elderly people, especially, expect it from strangers, whereas the younger might feel it to be too formal to the point of coldness. However, a learner of the language should not be excessively concerned about it. Omitting it is never offensive, but one should keep in mind that on formal occasions this custom may make a good impression.
Read more about this topic: Finnish Language
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