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Jessi: Hello, and welcome to Finnish Survival Phrases, brought to you by FinnishPod101.com. This course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Finland. You'll be surprised at how far a little Finnish will go. Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by FinnishPod101.com and there you'll find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment!
Finnish Survival Phrases lesson 19 - Bargaining in Finland
Reeta: In Finland, haggling is not very common anymore. The only places you can haggle a bit are flea markets. Flea markets are called kirpputori in Finnish.
Normally, if you are interested in buying something, you say, "Excuse me, how much is this?"
Anteeksi, kuinka paljon tämä maksaa?
As soon as they tell you the price, you can start bargaining to lower it. Don't be shy: ask, "Could I get it for cheaper?"
Voinko saada sen halvemmalla? Let’s break it down, Voinko saada sen halvemmalla. Once more, Voinko saada sen halvemmalla.
At this point, the merchant will start haggling and the final result is in your hands!
Another way to express the feeling that something is too expensive and you want to start haggling is with Se on liian kallis!
This literally means, "It is too expensive." liian means "too much," and kallis means "expensive."
At this point you might hear the vendor saying Saa tinkiä, which means "You are allowed to bargain."
Saa means "to be allowed" in the third-person singular. Tinkiä means "to bargain."
You can ask a vendor "Can I bargain?" by saying, Saanko tinkiä?
In Finland bargaining is not very common, so it's nice to ask whether the vendor minds you doing it.
Let's imagine that you are at a kirpputori. You want to buy a bag, but not at the merchant's price (fifteen euros); you'd rather suggest your own price (ten euros).
After Voinko saada sen halvemmalla? ("Can I get it for cheaper?"), you should say Maksan siitä 10 euroa ("I'll pay you ten euros"). Let’s break it down, Maksan siitä 10 euroa. Once more, Maksan siitä 10 euroa.
When haggling, this is all you need to get your point across. If the merchant refuses you, slowly walk away and in most cases they will give in.
Maksan siitä 10 euroa.
Ok, to close out today's lessons, we’d like you to practice what you have just learned. I’ll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you’re responsible for shouting it out loud. You’ll have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so Onnea! which means “Good luck!” in Finnish.
“Excuse me, how much is this?” - Anteeksi, kuinka paljon tämä maksaa?
“It's too expensive; can I get it for cheaper?” - Se on liian kallis, voinko saada sen halvemmalla?
“Can I bargain?” - Voinko tinkiä?
“I'll pay you ten euros!” - Maksan siitä 10 euroa.
Jessi: Alright! That's going to do it for today. Remember to stop by FinnishPod101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment!

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