In this article, we’ll cover the most common Finnish words for beginners. We’ve gathered in one place all the most important pronouns, numbers, nouns, verbs, adjectives, and conjunctions that you’ll need in order to navigate simple, everyday situations in Finnish. Since our focus is on essential vocabulary, we won’t linger too much on grammar here, but we will point you in the right direction where appropriate!

Although this guide is aimed at beginners, we also warmly welcome any intermediate learners who are looking for a core vocabulary refresher. The more the merrier, so let’s get started.

• Do you learn best by watching videos? Visit our YouTube channel to watch 100 Finnish Words for Everyday Life and All Basics Every Beginner Needs in 40 Minutes.

A smile and a few words in Finnish could lead to new friendships.

Table of Contents

1. Pronouns
2. Numbers
3. Nouns
4. Verbs
5. Adjectives
6. Conjunctions
7. Cultural Vocabulary: Finnish Holidays
8. Lopuksi

1. Pronouns

The first set of words you should add to your Finnish vocabulary are the pronouns. There are three pronoun categories we’ll look at today—personal, demonstrative, and interrogative—and it’s a good idea to learn them sooner rather than later. 

Personal Subject Pronouns

Personal subject pronouns replace a noun as the subject of a sentence:

• Tero puhuu suomea. (“Tero speaks Finnish.”)
• Hän puhuu suomea. (“He speaks Finnish.”)

Person	Finnish pronoun	English
1st person sg.	minä	I
2nd person sg.	sinä / te	you (casual / formal)
3rd person sg.	hän	he / she
1st person pl.	me	we
2nd person pl.	te	you
3rd person pl.	he	they

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns “point” to specific inanimate objects and non-human animate objects. (However, note that in colloquial Finnish se and ne are often used to refer to people too).

Singular	Plural
tämä (“this”)	nämä (“these”)
tuo (“that”)	nuo (“those”)
se (“it” / “that”)	ne (“they” / “them”)

• Read more about the use of Finnish demonstrative pronouns and learn how to pronounce the most useful Finnish pronouns.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used in questions. There are three Finnish interrogative pronouns that are still in common use today:

• kuka (“who”)
  Kuka tuo on? (“Who is that?”)

• mikä (“what”)
  Mikä sinun nimesi on? (“What is your name?”)

• kumpi (“which”)
  Kumpi on parempi? (“Which is better?”)

But wait, what about those other common question words? The following are interrogative adverbs rather than pronouns, but we’ll include them here as a bonus. Why not?

• miksi (“why”)
• missä (“where”)
• milloin (“when”)
• miten (“how”)

Kuka minä olen? (“Who am I?”)

2. Numbers

Another key component of the Finnish language for beginners are the numbers. At the beginner level, you’ll be able to get by with the numbers from one to ten most of the time. If you’re ready for some bigger numbers though, you can always head over to our Finnish Numbers vocabulary list to learn more!

• 1      yksi
• 2      kaksi
• 3      kolme
• 4      neljä
• 5      viisi
• 6      kuusi
• 7      seitsemän
• 8      kahdeksan
• 9      yhdeksän
• 10    kymmenen

3. Nouns

First, the good news: Finnish nouns have no gender and there are no articles to worry about. Hurrah! Furthermore, forming the plural in the nominative case can be as simple as adding a -t:

• auto (“a car” / “the car”)
• autot (“cars” / “the cars”)

Now, the not-so-good news: The full story is a bit more complicated than that (and involves things like consonant gradation)! We’re not getting into all of that here, but if you’re feeling lost, we recommend getting started with our absolute beginner lesson Do All Finns Have Blue Eyes? and then working your way up to the more challenging grammar lessons.

That said, let’s go ahead and learn some more Finnish beginner words!

Time

• tunti (“hour”)
• minuutti (“minute”)
• aamu (“morning”)
• päivä (“day”)
• ilta (“evening”)
• yö (“night”)
• viikko (“week”)
• kuukausi (“month”)
• vuosi (“year”)

Days of the Week

• maanantai (“Monday”)
• tiistai (“Tuesday”)
• keskiviikko (“Wednesday”)
• torstai (“Thursday”)
• perjantai (“Friday”)
• lauantai (“Saturday”)
• sunnuntai (“Sunday”)

 Note that the days of the week are not capitalized in Finnish!

People

• nainen (“woman”)
• mies (“man”)
• tyttö (“girl”)
• poika (“boy”)
• äiti (“mom”)
• isä (“dad”)
• lapsi (“child”)
• ystävä (“friend”)

Occupations 

• lääkäri (“doctor”)
• opettaja (“teacher”)
• poliisi (“police officer”)
• myyjä (“sales person”)

Not enough occupations for you? You’ll find the Finnish words for “poet,” “engineer,” and more on our list titled 20 Common Words for Occupations.

Mikä on sinun ammattisi? (“What is your occupation?”)

Shops and Services

• sairaala (“hospital”)
• koulu (“school”)
• pankki (“bank”)
• posti (“post office”)
• kauppa (“shop”)
• hotelli (“hotel”)
• ravintola (“restaurant”)

School and Office Essentials

• kynä (“pen” / “pencil”)
• (pyyhe)kumi (“eraser”)
• teroitin (“pencil sharpener”)
• vihko (“notebook”)
• kirja (“book”)
• tietokone (“computer”)

Body Parts

• pää (“head”)
• silmä (“eye”)
• nenä (“nose”)
• suu (“mouth”)
• korva (“ear”)
• käsi (“hand”)
• jalka (“leg” / “foot”)

For a more comprehensive list, head over to our lesson All Parts of the Body.

Food

• ruoka (“food”)
• vihannes (“vegetable”)
• hedelmä (“fruit”)
• liha (“meat”)
• kala (“fish”)
• kana (“chicken”)
• muna (“egg”)
• leipä (“bread”)

Terveellistä ruokaa (“Healthy food”)

Animals

• koira (“dog”)
• kissa (“cat”)
• hevonen (“horse”)
• lehmä (“cow”)
• lammas (“sheep”)
• sika (“pig”)
• lintu (“bird”)

Home

• koti (“home”)
• talo (“house”)
• ovi (“door”)
• ikkuna (“window”)
• pöytä (“table”)
• tuoli (“chair”)
• sänky (“bed”)

Transport

• taksi (“taxi”)
• Linja-auto / bussi (“bus”)
• juna (“train”)
• lentokone (“airplane”)
• laiva (“ship”)

Nature

• metsä (“forest”)
• järvi (“lake”)
• meri (“sea”)
• joki (“river”)
• vuori (“mountain”)

Saimaa on Suomen suurin järvi. (“Saimaa is Finland’s largest lake.”)

4. Verbs

In this section, we’ve listed 50 must-know Finnish verbs for beginners. Don’t worry if you don’t know much about how Finnish verbs work yet! You can quickly grasp the basics—from adding personal endings to the use of the negative verb—on FinnishPod101.com. You can also dive deeper into Finnish verb conjugation on Wikipedia or try Cooljugator to instantly conjugate common Finnish verbs!

Daily Routine Verbs

• herätä (“to wake up”)
• nousta ylös (“to get up”)
• pukeutua (“to dress”)
• tulla (“to come”)
• mennä (“to go”)
• työskennellä (“to work”)
• opiskella (“to study”)
• syödä (“to eat”)
• juoda (“to drink”)
• nukkua (“to sleep”)

En halua nousta vielä ylös. (“I don’t want to get up yet.”)

Conversation Verbs

• puhua (“to speak”)
• sanoa (“to say”)
• kysyä (“to ask”)
• vastata (“to answer”)
• ymmärtää (“to understand”)
• kuunnella (“to listen”)
• hymyillä (“to smile”)
• nauraa (“to laugh”)

Other Common and Useful Verbs

• olla (“to be”)
• tehdä (“to do”)
• ostaa (“to buy”)
• antaa (“to give”)
• saada (“to get”)
• ottaa (“to take”)
• etsiä (“to look for”)
• löytää (“to find”)
• pitää (“to like”)
• tuntea (“to feel”)
• katsoa (“to watch”)
• nähdä (“to see”)
• lukea (“to read”)
• kirjoittaa (“to write”)
• oppia (“to learn”)
• muistaa (“to remember”)
• voida (“to be able to”)
• osata (“to know how to”)
• tietää (“to know”)
• sulkea (“to close”)
• avata (“to open”)
• haluta (“to want”)
• kävellä (“to walk”)
• juosta (“to run”)
• ajaa (“to drive”)
• laittaa (“to put”)
• käyttää (“to use”)
• matkustaa (“to travel”)
• soittaa (“to call”)
• odottaa (“to wait”)
• saapua (“to arrive”)
• palata (“to return”)

Listen to our recordings and learn how to pronounce many of the above verbs like a native speaker on FinnishPod101.com.

Äiti lukee kirjaa. (“Mom is reading a book.”)

5. Adjectives

An adjective describes what something is like. These are essential beginner Finnish words to pick up, as they can add depth to your speech and help you better express yourself. Finnish adjectives must agree in number and case with the nouns they modify.

Describing Objects

• pieni (“small”)
• suuri (“large”)
• painava (“heavy”)
• kevyt (“light”)
• uusi (“new”)
• vanha (“old”)
• likainen (“dirty”)
• puhdas (“clean”)
• kuiva (“dry”)
• märkä (“wet”)

Describing People

• kaunis (“beautiful”)
• komea (“handsome”)
• ruma (“ugly”)
• pitkä (“tall”)
• lyhyt (“short”)
• laiha (“thin”)
• lihava (“fat”)
• nuori (“young”)
• rikas (“rich”)
• köyhä (“poor”)

Describing Emotions

• iloinen (“joyful”)
• onnellinen (“happy”)
• surullinen (“sad”)
• vihainen (“angry”)
• yllättynyt (“surprised”)
• kyllästynyt (“bored” / “annoyed”)
• hämmentynyt (“confused”)

Onnellinen nainen hymyilee. (“A happy woman smiles.”)

Describing the Weather

• aurinkoinen (“sunny”)
• pilvinen (“cloudy”)
• sateinen (“rainy”)
• sumuinen (“foggy”)
• luminen (“snowy”)

Describing Colors

• sininen (“blue”)
• punainen (“red”)
• keltainen (“yellow”)
• vihreä (“green”)
• oranssi (“orange”)
• violetti (“purple”)
• valkoinen (“white”)
• musta (“black”)
• harmaa (“gray”)

Visit our Most Common Adjectives list to expand your Finnish vocabulary even more.

Värikkäät kirjoitustarvikkeet (“Colorful stationery”)

6. Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words that link other words or phrases together. You can get pretty far with the commonly used Finnish conjunctions below. 

• ja (“and”)
  
  tyttö ja poika (“a girl and a boy”)

• tai / vai (“or”)
  
  Haluatko teetä vai kahvia? (“Do you want tea or coffee?”)
  
  Otatko sokeria tai kermaa? (“Do you take sugar or cream?”)
  
  When asking questions, use vai when you expect the listener to choose one of the options. Use tai when the listener can pick any, all, or none of the options. When making statements, you can only use tai.

• jos (“if”)
  
  Soita minulle, jos haluat jutella. (“Call me if you want to chat.”)

• koska (“because”) When asking questions, use vai when you expect the listener to choose one of the options. Use tai when the listener can pick any, all, or none of the options. When making statements, you can only use tai.
  
  Juoksen, koska minulla on kiire. (“I’m running because I’m in a hurry.”)

• mutta (“but”) When asking questions, use vai when you expect the listener to choose one of the options. Use tai when the listener can pick any, all, or none of the options. When making statements, you can only use tai.
  
  Tunnen hänet, mutta en kovin hyvin. (“I know him/her, but not very well.”)

• että (“that”) When asking questions, use vai when you expect the listener to choose one of the options. Use tai when the listener can pick any, all, or none of the options. When making statements, you can only use tai.
  
  Olen varma, että pystyt siihen. (“I am sure that you can do it.”)

Juoksen, koska minulla on kiire. (“I’m running because I’m in a hurry.”)

7. Cultural Vocabulary: Finnish Holidays

Finally, the home stretch. So, let’s get festive and learn the names of some of the most popular holidays and celebrations in Finland!

• uusivuosi (“New Year”)
• laskiainen (“Shrovetide”)
• ystävänpäivä (“Valentine’s Day”)
• pääsiäinen (“Easter”)
• vappu (“May Day”)
• juhannus (“Midsummer”)
• pyhäinpäivä (“All Hallows Day”)
• itsenäisyyspäivä (“Independence Day”)
• joulu (“Christmas”)

If you’re curious about Finnish holiday traditions, make sure you check out our Video Culture Class!

Joulupukki vierailee lasten luona jouluaattona.
(“Santa Claus visits children on Christmas Eve.”)

8. Lopuksi

In this guide, we covered over 200 useful words in Finnish for beginners, from essential pronouns and common nouns to the most important everyday verbs. If you can memorize the core vocabulary included here, you’ll create a solid foundation for all your further studies. Tip: Repetition is vital to committing vocabulary to long-term memory, so feel free to bookmark this page!

Did we miss any words that you expected to see here? Your questions and comments help other learners too, so feel free to share your thoughts with us below.

FinnishPod101 has a lot of free resources for you to explore, including vocabulary lists that cover a vast range of topics. If you’re not sure where to start, you can’t go wrong with our curated lesson pathways for Absolute Beginners and Beginners.

Happy learning on FinnishPod101.com!

If you’ve spent some time learning another language, you’ll know that spoken language can be very different from the standard form. Finnish learners in particular quickly notice how many words are shortened and “streamlined” in informal Finnish.

Spoken Finnish is also often littered with small, seemingly meaningless words. These “filler words” are rarely included in any academic curriculums, but they do matter—it can be hard to follow a conversation in Finnish if you’re not familiar with them.

In this article, we’ll introduce some of the most common Finnish filler words and phrases so that you can start spotting them when listening to native speakers. We’ll also guide you on how to use them yourself to make your spoken Finnish sound more natural. And finally, we’ll discuss the cons of filler words and the situations in which it’s best to avoid them.

• Since you’re interested in Finnish filler words, we think that our lessons Top 5 Phrases Your Teacher Will Never Teach You and Why Finnish Slang Words Will Make You Fluent will be right up your alley, too.

Using filler words gives you time to think.

Table of Contents

1. Why do we use filler words?
2. The Top 10 Finnish Filler Words
3. The Pros and Cons of Filler Words
4. Lopuksi

1. Why do we use filler words?

In this section, we’ll discuss what filler words are and why they’re used in spoken language.

1 – What are filler words?

When we take part in a discussion, we rarely plan the exact sequence of words that we’re going to use before we open our mouths. Therefore, it’s natural to pause briefly from time to time as we search for the right words while speaking.

Täytesanat (“filler words”) is a term used to classify all those relatively meaningless sounds, words, and small phrases that people use to fill the pauses in their speech. In fact, they can be removed from a sentence without changing its meaning. But that’s not to say that they serve no real purpose at all—as you’ll see below.

2 – Why do we use them?

Filler words can do a lot of things! For example:

• They can give you a moment to think about what you’re going to say next, while signaling to others that you haven’t finished talking yet.
• They can be used to let others know that you want to say something while someone else is still talking—a bit like putting your hand up in a classroom!
• They can give others clues about how to interpret what you’re saying by indicating enthusiasm or uncertainty, for example.
• They can help you be more diplomatic and polite when expressing your views.

Are you eager to get better at conversing in Finnish? Then let us teach you the Top 10 Conversational Phrases, Must-Know Expressions for Agreeing and Disagreeing, and How to Use Small Talk Phrases. You’re welcome.

2. The Top 10 Finnish Filler Words

In this section, we’ll introduce ten commonly used Finnish conversation filler words. While there is good correspondence between many Finnish and English filler words, it’s not an exact science, and the meaning of a filler word can change depending on the context. We’ll give alternative English translations and demonstrate different uses in our example sentences where possible.

Note that since filler words are primarily a part of spoken Finnish, they may have quite a few variations. Don’t worry; we’ll alert you when this is the case! And speaking of spelling, since spoken Finnish can be confusing to the uninitiated (by bending grammar rules, for instance), our example sentences are in standard Finnish.

#1 Öö (“Um” / “Uh” / “Err”)

Öö (“um” / “uh” / “err”) is the sound Finns often use when they aren’t sure what they want to say or are searching for the right word. It can also be used to express confusion or disbelief. This filler can appear at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence.

• Mitä syötäisiin tänään? (“What should we eat today?”)
• Syödään vaikka, öö… makaronilaatikkoa. (“How about we eat, um… macaroni casserole.”)

• Näin viime yönä kummituksen! (“I saw a ghost last night!”)
• Öö… oletko ihan varma? (“Err… are you absolutely sure?”)

Syödään vaikka, öö… makaronilaatikkoa. (“How about we eat, um…macaroni casserole.”)

#2 Tuota (“Well” / “Actually”)

Tuota has a lot of variations. For example: tuota noin, tota, tota noi, tota nii, and so on…

As a filler word, tuota doesn’t mean anything, but it usually serves the same function as the English filler words “well” and “actually.” That is, it fills a pause when you’re thinking about what to say. Note that tuota is also the partitive form of the demonstrative pronoun tuo (“that”), though a pause or hesitation will usually make it clear that tuota is being used as a filler.

• Tykkäsitkö eilisestä elokuvasta? (“Did you like yesterday’s film?”)
• Se oli, tuota, parempi kuin mitä oletin. (“It was, well, better than what I expected.”)

• Voisimmeko jutella? (“Could we talk?”)
• Tuota… minulla on aika kiire juuri nyt. (“Actually… I’m a bit busy just now.”)

#3 Niinku (“Like”)

Niinku is the colloquial form of niin kuin (“like”). You can use this ubiquitous Finnish filler when you’re thinking of what to say next or to emphasize what you’re saying.

• Se oli niinku huonoin kirja minkä olen ikinä lukenut. (“It was like the worst book I’ve ever read.”)

A word of caution: niinku appears on the MeNaiset magazine’s 2019 list of the most annoying words in the Finnish language. In fact, some people abhor the liberal use of niinku so much that there’s now a term to describe its overuse: ninkutus.

Excessive use of niinku would look something like this:Naapurin kissa käveli niinku suoraan ovesta sisään ja meni niinku nukkumaan meidän sohvalle. Nauroin niinku ainakin viisi minuuttia. (“The neighbor’s cat walked like straight in through the door and like went to sleep on our sofa. I laughed for like five minutes at least.”)

Beware, some Finns can’t stand niinku.

#4 Noni

Noni (also: no niin, nonni, nonnih, nonii, nonnii, and so on) is such a wonderful and versatile Finnish filler word that it should really have its own article. Alas, we’re only going to scratch the surface here.

The most fun thing about noni is that it can be used in almost any context. Whether you’re delighted or frustrated, proud or disappointed, you can begin with noni to set the tone of what you’re about to say.

• Noni, pitihän se arvata! (“Right, should’ve guessed!”)
• Noni, minähän sanoin sinulle! (“See, I told you!”)
• Noni, yritähän keskittyä. (“Come on, try to focus.”)
• Noni, hienosti tehty! (“Awesome, well done!”)
• Noni, aloitetaan. (“Alright, let’s get started.”)

Using this Finnish filler is an art form, and once you’ve mastered it, you’ve reached the next level of Finnish! Listening to and imitating native Finns is the best way to get the stress and vowel length just right, but to help you get started, see our handy little infographic on using noni or watch stand-up comedian Ismo Leikola explain it.

#5 Siis (“So” / “Actually” / “Wait”)

Siis is another Finnish filler word with a variety of potential uses and it could be translated as “so,” “actually,” or “what” depending on the context. It can be used when you need to repeat yourself or clarify something, to emphasize what you’re saying, or to express disbelief.

• Siis Esa lähti jo? (“So Esa left already?”)
• Meillä on siis ihan hyvä syy olla täällä. (“We actually have a pretty good reason to be here.”)

Siis mitä?! (“Wait, what?!”)

Siis mitä?! (“Wait what?!”)

#6 Kato (“Look”)

Kato is a colloquial form of katso (“look”). It’s commonly used when expressing an opinion or pointing out something the other person may not have considered. 

The particles -han and -pa are commonly attached to kato. In the examples below, -han expresses surprise while -pa softens the directness of the imperative.

• Kato, makuasioista ei voi kiistellä. (“Look, there’s no accounting for taste.”)
• Katohan, olin oikeassa sittenkin. (“Look, I was right after all.”)
• Katopa, jos haluat menestyä, sinun pitää tehdä töitä sen eteen. (“Look, if you want to succeed, you have to work for it.”)

Read more about the uses of the Finnish particles -han and -pa on Wiktionary.

#7 Kuule (“Listen” / “Listen up”)

Kuule literally means “hear,” but it’s used like the English word “listen” and is more or less interchangeable with kato (“look”). The particles -pa and -han can also be attached to kuule.

• Kuule, minua ei voisi vähempää kiinnostaa. (“Listen, I couldn’t care less.”)
• Kuulepa, nyt on aika toimia! (“Listen up, now’s the time to act.”)
• Kuulehan Sirpa, älä vertaa itseäsi muihin. (“Listen Sirpa, don’t compare yourself to others.”)

#8 Ootas ny (“Hold on”)

Ootas ny is a colloquial form of odota nyt (literally: “wait now”). You can use it when you’re trying to remember something or when you’re considering the answer to a question, for example.

• Milloin kesäloma alkaa? (“When does the summer holiday begin?”)
• Ootas ny… Oliko se 28. (kahdeskymmeneskahdeksas) päivä? (“Hold on… Was it the 28th?”)

• Missä sakset ovat? (“Where are the scissors?”)
• Ootas ny… Käytin niitä vasta vähän aikaa sitten. (“Hold on… I used them only a little while ago.”)

#9 Tiiäkkö (“You know” / “You know what”)

Tiiäkkö and tiätsä are colloquial forms of tiedätkö and tiedätkö sinä (literally: “Do you know?”). As a filler word, they can be used to emphasize a statement or to get someone’s attention.

• Sukeltaminen on tosi hauskaa, tiiäkkö! (“Diving is really fun, you know!”)
• Tiiäkkö, olen päättänyt muuttaa maalle. (“You know what, I’ve decided to move to the country.”)

Tiätsä Panu, ei kannata odottaa liian pitkään. (“You know what Panu, it’s not good to wait too long.”)

Sukeltaminen on tosi hauskaa, tiiäkkö. (“Diving is really fun, you know.”)

#10 Tai jotai (“Or something”)

Tai jotai is the colloquial form of tai jotain (“or something”). It’s usually tagged at the end of a statement to indicate a sense of vagueness. You may also hear a longer version: tai jotai sinne päi (literally “or something in that direction”).

• Lähetä minulle tekstiviesti tai jotai. (“Send me a text message or something.”)
• Ehkä Tertulla oli kiire tai jotai? (“Maybe Terttu was busy or something?”)

3. The Pros and Cons of Filler Words

Now that you’ve learned some of the most popular Finnish filler words, should you try to use them as much as you can? The answer is not a simple “yes” or “no,” so let’s take a look at some pros and cons of using filler words as well as when it’s appropriate to use the occasional filler in Finnish.

1 – Use Filler Words to Sound More Authentic and Considerate

In a relaxed setting, a native Finnish speaker is very likely to use filler words. Therefore, using Finnish filler words can help your Finnish sound significantly more natural and authentic. This, in turn, could really boost your confidence as you’re honing your conversational skills.

And that’s not all: Science suggests that using filler words and discourse markers helps you come across as a more considerate and thoughtful participant in a conversation.

• If you’re working on sounding more like a native Finnish speaker, learning these Essential Idioms will come in handy!

2 – Why You Should Not Overuse Filler Words

Now for the reasons why you shouldn’t use filler words with wild abandon in just any situation…

Remember how niinku is considered one of the most irritating words in the Finnish language? Going overboard with any filler word can rub someone you’re chatting with the wrong way.

In formal situations, the use of filler words is often thought to signal insecurity or lack of knowledge, and can distract from your message. So if you’re in a job interview or giving an important presentation, it’s best to avoid them! You could simply embrace those silent pauses instead (which may admittedly take some practice), or learn some alternative phrases that sound far better than öö (“um”) while still buying time to think. For example:

• Pieni hetki (“Just a moment”)
• Katsotaanpa… (“Let’s see…”)

 And while we’re on the topic of things to avoid, here are five Finnish language mistakes you don’t want to make.

Työhaastattelussa. (“At a job interview.”)

4. Lopuksi

In this guide, we explored the fascinating world of Finnish filler words; you learned what they are, why people use them, and which ones are most popular. However, our list of Finnish filler words is not exhaustive by any means. Which other ones do you know of? Leave a comment below and help your fellow learners!

The best way to master using Finnish filler words is to listen to native Finnish speakers as much as possible. This will improve your ability to understand the nuances in meaning. Then pick one or two of your favorites and practice using them in real life! FinnishPod101 is designed to make learning Finnish as fun and effective as possible. Our vocabulary lists and other free Finnish resources are a great place to start if you’re new to FinnishPod101. And if you’d like access to 1-on-1 coaching with a native Finnish teacher (to improve your understanding of spoken Finnish, for example), the doors to a Premium PLUS subscription are open to you!

We don’t choose who we fall in love with. Therefore, it’s entirely possible that one day, while you’re busy minding your own business, you’ll be swept off your feet by a charming Finn. Or perhaps this has already happened to you, and that’s how you discovered this guide? In any case, if you want to learn Finnish love phrases, you’ve come to the right place.

This article will teach you how to say “I love you,” in Finnish, as well as all the key phrases you’ll need at different stages of a romantic relationship—from asking a Finnish cutie out to planning your marriage proposal. We’ll also cover the most commonly used Finnish endearment terms and give you some cultural insights regarding love and romance in Finland.

By the way, if you’re already deeply in love with a Finn, you’ll be happy to know that falling in love can help you learn Finnish faster!

Table of Contents

1. Confess Your Affection
2. Fall in Deeper
3. Take it One Step Further
4. Endearment Terms
5. Must-know Love Quotes
6. Lopuksi

1. Confess Your Affection

Has a beautiful stranger caught your eye? Have you got a crush on a handsome acquaintance? In this section, you’ll learn how to let someone know that you’re interested in them. Note that we’ll use the casual sinä (informal “you”) rather than the polite te (formal and plural “you”) throughout this guide.

Finnish people aren’t quite as taciturn as the national stereotype would have you believe, but you can expect them to be more reserved than, say, your typical American or Italian. Don’t let that discourage you—just be honest and real (and prepared to carry the conversation for a bit) when you approach a Finn, and you’re likely to make a favorable first impression. And ladies: It’s considered fine for a woman to make the first move!

Here’s how to ask someone to join you on the dance floor, tell them that you like their smile, or ask them if they’re already taken:

• Haluaisitko tanssia kanssani? (“Would you like to dance with me?”)
• Voinko tarjota sinulle drinkin? (“Can I get you a drink?”)
• Sinulla on kaunis hymy / kauniit silmät. (“You have a beautiful smile / beautiful eyes.”)
• Olet todella mukava / kaunis / komea. (“You’re really nice / beautiful / handsome.”)
• Onko sinulla poikaystävää / tyttöystävää? (“Do you have a boyfriend / a girlfriend?”)
• Oletko sinkku / varattu? (“Are you single / taken?”)

How did it go? If you’ve been having a good time together, go ahead and tell them that you’d like to see them again:

• Olisi kiva nähdä sinut uudestaan. (“It would be nice to see you again.”)
• Haluaisin viettää enemmän aikaa kanssasi. (“I’d like to spend more time with you.”)
• Haluaisin tutustua sinuun paremmin. (“I’d like to get to know you better.”)
• Vaihdetaanko numeroita? (“Shall we exchange numbers?”)
• Voinko soittaa sinulle? (“Can I call you?”)
• Oletko vapaa huomenna? (“Are you free tomorrow?”)
• Lähtisitkö joskus kanssani syömään / kahville / kävelylle? (“Would you like to go out for a meal / a coffee / a walk with me sometime?”)

Finally, to ensure that you and your love interest are on the same page, here are a few Finnish dating verbs defined:

• Käydä treffeillä (“to go on dates”)
• Tapailla (“to see each other casually”)
• Seurustella (“to be in a relationship,” or literally “to socialize” / “to date”)

Be thoroughly prepared for that all-important first date by learning the Most Common Phrases You’ll Need for a Date and the 10 Most Romantic Ideas for a Date in Finnish.

Vaihdetaanko numeroita? (“Shall we exchange numbers?”)

2. Fall in Deeper

Have you got butterflies in your belly when you think of that special someone? Perhaps you’re falling in love… Before you go and confess your feelings, it’s good to know that the Finnish word for “love”—rakkaus—is not used lightly. Just look at that strong rolled ‘r’ at the beginning, that terse double ‘k’ in the middle, and that sibilant ‘s’ at the end…it makes sense that such a powerful word is used only when it’s really meant! 

With that in mind, let’s first look at alternatives to saying “I love you.”

• Pidän sinusta todella paljon. (“I like you a lot.”)
• Olen ihastunut sinuun. (“I have a crush on you.”)
• Olen hulluna sinuun. (“I’m crazy about you.”)
• Minulla on ikävä sinua. (“I miss you.”)
• En voi olla ajattelematta sinua. (“I can’t stop thinking about you.”)

If things get more serious and you’re ready to declare your love, there are a few different ways to say “I love you,” in Finnish (and to ask if they love you, too).

• Minä rakastan sinua. (“I love you.”)
• Minä rakastan sinua myös. (“I love you too.”)
• Rakastatko sinä minua? (“Do you love me?”)
• Olen rakastunut sinuun. (“I’ve fallen in love with you.”)
• Rakastan sinua koko sydämestäni. (“I love you with all my heart.”)

To keep things interesting, here are some alternative ways to express your love in Finnish: 

• Teet minut onnelliseksi. (“You make me happy.”)
• En voisi elää ilman sinua. (“I could not live without you.”)
• Olet todella tärkeä minulle. (“You are really important to me.”)

Did you know that the Finnish ystävänpäivä (“Valentine’s Day,” or literally “friend’s day”) is primarily a celebration of friendship? Discover more about how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Finland on our YouTube channel in the video below (and learn 15 Finnish Love Phrases for Valentine’s Day while you’re at it).

Rakastatko sinä minua? (“Do you love me?”)

3. Take it One Step Further

If things are going really well with your Finnish sweetheart and you’re ready to take the next step in your relationship, this section is for you.

Let’s start with some key vocabulary:

• Asua yhdessä (“To live together”)
• Avopuoliso (“Live-in partner”)
• Kosia (“To propose”)
• Mennä kihloihin (“To get engaged”)
• Mennä naimisiin (“To get married”)
• Vaimo (“Wife”)
• Aviomies (“Husband”)
• Aviopuoliso (“Spouse”)
• Perustaa perhe (“Start a family”)

Do you want to tell someone that you’d like them to meet your parents, or to suggest moving in together? Here’s what you can say:

• Haluaisin esitellä sinut vanhemmilleni. (“I’d like to introduce you to my parents.”)
• Haluatko tavata vanhempani? (“Do you want to meet my parents?”)
• Haluan muuttaa yhteen kanssasi. (“I want to move in with you.”)
• Muutetaan yhteen. (“Let’s move in together.”)

Are you ready to make the ultimate commitment and get married? In Finland, it’s more common for a man to propose to a woman than vice-versa. That said, if you’re a woman, you might want to pop the question on a leap day—according to a Finnish tradition, if a man rejects your proposal on a leap day, he’s obliged to buy you enough fabric for a skirt as compensation! Those in a same-sex relationship also have the option to get married if they wish, as Finland legalized same-sex marriage in 2017.

Here are a few different ways to propose:

• Tuletko vaimokseni / aviomiehekseni / aviopuolisokseni? (“Will you marry me?” Literally: “Will you be my wife / husband / spouse?”)
• Suotko minulle kunnian tulla vaimokseni / aviomiehekseni / aviopuolisokseni? (“Will you give me the honor of becoming my wife / husband / spouse?”)
• Mennäänkö naimisiin? (“Shall we get married?”)
• Vietetään loppuelämämme yhdessä. (“Let’s spend the rest of our lives together.”)

Visit FinnishPod101.com for even more Finnish Marriage Proposal Lines.

Many people in Finland start a family before they get married, and some couples with children never make their relationship official. Whatever you and your partner decide to do, here are two ways to express your desire to have children together:

• Haluaisin hankkia lapsia kanssasi. (“I’d like to have children with you.”)
• Perustetaan perhe yhdessä. (“Let’s start a family together.”)

What if things aren’t going well and you want to part ways? Bite the bullet and let them know with one of these common Finnish break-up lines.

Tuletko vaimokseni? (“Will you be my wife?”)

4. Endearment Terms

The Finnish word for “endearment term” or “pet name” is hellittelynimi, which is derived from the words hellitellä (“to care for” / “to fuss over” / “to fondle”) and nimi (“name”). If you’re looking for the perfect Finnish pet name for your beloved, you’ll find both serious and silly ones to pick from in this section. Which of these sweet love words in Finnish do you like the most?

• Rakas (“Dear” / “Beloved”)
• Rakkaani (“My dear” / “My beloved”)
• Kulta (“Gold”)
• Muru (“Crumb”)
• Höpönassu (“Silly face”)
• Höppänä (“Silly”)
• Söpöliini (“Cutie”)
• Possunen (“Piggy”)
• Pupu (“Bunny”)
• Aarre (“Treasure”)
• Sydänkäpy (“Sweetheart” / Literally: “Heart pinecone”)

It’s also common to create pet names by adding certain endings to your beloved’s name. The possibilities are endless! For example: 

• Tommi + -liini = Tommiliini
• Tessa + -kka = Tessukka

To discover more Finnish endearment terms and ways to create new ones, check out this article (in Finnish) on Ilta-Sanomat.

Oma pikku höpönassuni. (“My little silly face.”)

5. Must-know Love Quotes

Now that you’ve learned lots of useful love sentences in Finnish to help you navigate the key moments of your own love story, let’s see what Finnish proverbs and famous quotes say about romantic love.

1. Finnish Love Proverbs

• Nauru nuorentaa, rakkaus kaunistaa. (“Laughter makes one younger, love makes one prettier.”)
• Rakkaus on kuin sipuli: mitä pitemmälle kuorit, sitä enemmän itket. (“Love is like an onion, the further you peel, the more you cry.”)
• Yskää ja rakkautta ei voi salata. (“One can’t hide a cough or love.”)

2. Finnish Love Quotes

• “Minä en äiteliä puheita suvaitse. Rakkaus on tekemistä. Rakkaus on sitä, että pitää sanansa ja tulee ajallaan syömään.” (“I cannot abide sappy talk. Love is doing. Love is keeping your word and coming to eat on time.”)
  
  Arja Tiainen, author

• “Rakkauden salaisuus on sama kuin uskonnon: molemmat ovat yhtä käsittämättömiä ulkopuolella oleville.” (“The secret of love is the same as that of religion: both are equally incomprehensible to those on the outside.”)
  
  Aino Kallas, author

• “Miten paljon rakastettuasi rakastat, tiedät vasta, kun olet hänet menettänyt.” (“You will know how much you love your beloved only when you have lost them.”)
  
  Maria Jotuni, author

Do you agree with any of these statements? If you’re looking for more Finnish Quotes about Love, FinnishPod101 has got you covered.

6. Lopuksi

In this guide, you’ve learned how to say “I love you,” in Finnish. We’ve also explored how to flirt, how to ask someone out, and even how to propose marriage in Finnish. Do you know any other useful Finnish love phrases or cute endearment terms that we didn’t include? Leave a comment below and share them with the community!

If romance and love have gotten you interested in learning Finnish, we invite you to explore everything that FinnishPod101 has to offer. Why not get started with our free resources or learn how to pronounce words with our handy Finnish vocabulary lists? Remember that we also have a YouTube channel, a mobile app, and a Premium PLUS program that provides expert 1-on-1 tutoring to help you succeed in your studies.

 Until next time, happy learning and good luck! 

It’s no wonder that toddlers learn the magic word “no” early on—being able to say what you don’t want is as vital as being able to communicate what you do want. Of course, learning about negation in the Finnish language has a lot more uses than just the ability to confirm your dislike of, say, mämmi. You can also use negation to warn others or to add nuance to your questions, for example.

Finnish negation works in a different manner than English negation, but once you’re comfortable using the Finnish negative verb, you’ve already won half the battle. In addition to the negative verb (and its partner in crime, the connegative), this guide will cover some other important negative vocabulary as well as how to use the most important negative affixes.

Let’s not delay any longer. It’s time to learn all about negation in the Finnish language!

Ei. (“No.”)

Table of Contents

1. Forming a Negative Statement in Finnish
2. Negative Imperative
3. Giving a Negative Answer to a Question
4. Asking Negative Questions
5. Other Useful Negative Words
6. Negative Prefixes and Suffixes
7. Negative Conjunctions
8. Lopuksi

1. Forming a Negative Statement in Finnish

Okay, let’s start with the basics: how to make a positive statement negative in Finnish. In the following sections, we’ll discuss the Finnish negative verb and how negatives are formed in different tenses.

1 – The Finnish Negative Verb

Say hello to the negative verb! You’ll come across it again and again, so it’s the first thing to learn about negation in the Finnish language.

The Finnish negative verb corresponds to the English words “no” and “not.” But unlike the English “no,” the Finnish “no” behaves like a verb. And like other verbs in Finnish, it needs to be conjugated. Thankfully, this isn’t too hard! Watch for the personal endings in the table below:

Person	Singular	Plural
1.	en	emme
2.	et	ette
3.	ei	eivät

In negative statements, the negative verb is paired with the connegative form of the main verb. Let’s see how that’s done next!

2 – Negative Present Tense

So how do we form the present connegative? 

Take the first person singular form of the verb in the present tense, for example Minä puhun (“I speak”). Then remove the personal ending -n. The present connegative for the verb puhua (“to speak”) therefore is puhu.

Creating a simple negative statement looks like this:

• Minä en puhu. (“I don’t speak.”)
• Sinä et puhu. (“You don’t speak.”)
• Hän ei puhu. (“He/she doesn’t speak.”)
• Me emme puhu. (“We don’t speak.”)
• Te ette puhu. (“You don’t speak.”) [Plural / polite singular]
• He eivät puhu. (“They don’t speak.”)

3 – Negative Past Tense

In the past tense, the connegative is the active past participle. The formation of the connegative varies according to verb type.

The singular active past participle is formed by modifying the infinitive form of the verb:

Verb type	Take away	Replace with
1	-a/-ä	-nut/-nyt
2	-da/dä	-nut/-nyt
3	-Ca/-Cä	-Cut/-Cyt
4, 5, 6	-ta/-tä	-nnut/-nnyt

In the plural form, replace -ut/-yt in the table above with -eet.

Puhua (“to speak”) is a Type 1 verb. Therefore, the active past participle is puhunut (singular) or puhuneet (plural). 

• Minä en puhunut. (“I didn’t speak.”)
• Sinä et puhunut. (“You didn’t speak.”)
• Hän ei puhunut. (“He/she didn’t speak.”)
• Me emme puhuneet. (“We didn’t speak.”)
• Te ette puhuneet. (“You didn’t speak.”)
• He eivät puhuneet. (“They didn’t speak.”)

4 – Negative Perfect Tense

 In the perfect tense, a negative statement is formed using the negative verb + ole + the active past participle.

• Minä en ole puhunut. (“I haven’t spoken.”)
• Sinä et ole puhunut. (“You haven’t spoken.”)
• Hän ei ole puhunut. (“He/she hasn’t spoken.”)
• Me emme ole puhuneet. (“We haven’t spoken.”)
• Te ette ole puhuneet. (“You haven’t spoken.”)
• He eivät ole puhuneet. (“They haven’t spoken.”)

5 – Negative Past Perfect Tense

In the past perfect tense, a negative statement is formed using the negative verb + ollut + the active past participle.

• Minä en ollut puhunut. (“I hadn’t spoken.”)
• Sinä et ollut puhunut. (“You hadn’t spoken.”)
• Hän ei ollut puhunut. (“He/she hadn’t spoken.”)
• Me emme olleet puhuneet. (“We hadn’t spoken.”)
• Te ette olleet puhuneet. (“You hadn’t spoken.”)
• He eivät olleet puhuneet. (“They hadn’t spoken.”)

6 – Negative Passive

Sometimes it simply doesn’t matter who performs an action—or doesn’t perform an action—and in those cases, we use the passive voice. A negative passive statement is formed by using ei + the connegative.

The present passive connegative is derived from the affirmative passive form of the main verb: simply remove the -an/-än from the end. (For all verb types except for Type 1, this looks the same as the verb’s infinitive form.)

• Affirmative passive: puhutaan (“is spoken”)
• Present negative passive: ei puhuta (“isn’t spoken”)

In the past, perfect, and past perfect tenses, the connegative is the passive past participle, which has a -tu/-ty or a -ttu/-tty ending. 

• ei puhuttu (“wasn’t spoken”)
• ei ole puhuttu (“hasn’t been spoken”)
• ei oltu puhuttu (“hadn’t been spoken”)

Finally, it’s good to know that the object in negative statements is in the partitive case. The partitive form of suomi (“Finnish”) in the example below is suomea.

•  En ole puhunut suomea tänään. (“I haven’t spoken Finnish today.”)

Are you looking for more practice forming negative Finnish sentences? Dive into the following FinnishPod101 lessons:

❖ I Don’t Like the Rain in Finland
❖ Using Negation
❖ He Didn’t Say a Single Word
❖ A Confusing Situation in Finland

En sanonut sanaakaan. (“I didn’t say a word.”)

2. Negative Imperative

One day, you might find yourself in a situation that calls for an effective warning! Let’s be prepared and learn how to form the negative imperative in Finnish.

When addressing one person, simply put älä in front of the main verb in the imperative mood. For example, the negation of Puhu! (“Speak!”) is Älä puhu! (“Don’t speak!”). 

• Älä tule yhtään lähemmäksi! (“Don’t come any closer!”)
• Älä poimi sieniä, joita et tunne! (“Don’t pick mushrooms that you don’t know!”)

When addressing more than one person, put älkää in front of the main verb in the imperative mood, but replace the main verb ending -kaa/-kää with -ko/-kö. The negation of Puhukaa! (“Speak!”) for more than one person is therefore Älkää puhuko! (“Don’t speak!”). 

• Älkää uskoko kaikkea mitä kuulette! (“Don’t believe everything you hear!”)
• Älkää matkustako ilman matkavakuutusta! (“Don’t travel without travel insurance!”)

Just in case you find yourself in a really frustrating situation, you might want to learn some Angry Phrases in Finnish as well!

Älä! (“Don’t!”)

3. Giving a Negative Answer to a Question

When someone asks you a yes-or-no question, there are a few different ways you could answer it negatively. All of them involve using the Finnish negative form of a verb in its correct conjugation.

• Haluatko lisää mämmiä? (“Do you want more mämmi?”)

In first person singular, your answer could look like this:

• En. (“I don’t.”)
• En halua. (“I don’t want.”)
• Ei, en halua. (“No, I don’t want.”)

If you want to decline an offer politely, you could say:

• Ei kiitos. (“No, thank you.”)

Head over to our Finnish Manners lesson to learn more polite phrases in addition to “No, thank you.”

Ei kiitos. Olen syönyt tarpeeksi. (“No, thank you. I’ve eaten enough.”)

4. Asking Negative Questions

An affirmative sentence, an affirmative question, a negative sentence, and a negative question walk into a bar… Okay, not really, but let’s compare the four anyway! 

• Puuro on terveellistä. (“Porridge is healthy.”)
• Onko puuro terveellistä? (“Is porridge healthy?”)
• Puuro ei ole terveellistä. (“Porridge is not healthy.”)
• Eikö puuro ole terveellistä? (“Isn’t porridge healthy?)

You’ll notice that the negative question begins with the negative verb, which has a -kö ending. Easy-peasy!

Here are a few more examples: 

• Etkö halua tulla sisälle? (“Don’t you want to come inside?”)
• Emmekö ole ystäviä? (“Aren’t we friends?”)
• Enkö ole jo auttanut tarpeeksi? (“Haven’t I already helped enough?”) 

5. Other Useful Negative Words

Now that you’ve seen the negative verb so many times that you’ll be dreaming of it at night, let’s add some other useful Finnish negative words into the mix. Just remember that these words still need the help of the negative verb in statements—they can only appear without it in questions.

 For example: 

• (ei) koskaan (“never” / “ever”)
• Ette ole koskaan käyneet Suomessa. (“You have never been to Finland.”)
• Oletteko koskaan käyneet Suomessa? (“Have you ever been to Finland?”)

 Here are more words to learn:

• (ei) kukaan (“nobody” / “anybody”)
• Kukaan ei tiedä missä Toni on. (“Nobody knows where Toni is.”)

• (ei) yhtään (“no” / “any”)
• Kaupassa ei ollut yhtään vessapaperia. (“There was no toilet paper in the shop.”)

• (ei) enää (“no longer”)
• Tero ei asu enää Porissa. (“Tero no longer lives in Pori.”)

• (ei) edes (“even”)
• Edes Seppo ei tiennyt vastausta. (“Even Seppo didn’t know the answer.”)

• (ei) ollenkaan (“at all”)
• En ole ollenkaan varma. (“I’m not sure at all.”)

• (ei) missään (“nowhere” / “anywhere”)
• En tunne oloani kotoisaksi missään. (“I don’t feel at home anywhere.”)

• (ei) mikään (“nothing” / “anything”) [used as a subject]
• Mikään ei ole pysyvää. (“Nothing is permanent.”)

• (ei) mitään (“nothing” / “anything”) [used as an object]
• En pyydä sinulta mitään. (“I’m not asking you for anything.”) 

From “disappointed” to “annoyed,” grow your Finnish vocabulary even more by learning the Top 21 Words for Negative Emotions.

En ole ollenkaan varma. (“I’m not sure at all.”)

6. Negative Prefixes and Suffixes

This wouldn’t be an ultimate guide to Finnish negation if we didn’t discuss a few negative affixes, too!

1 – Prefixes

Just like in English, there are a couple of Finnish prefixes that can be used to flip the meaning of a word. 

The most common prefix used in Finnish-language negation is epä-, which performs the same function as the English prefixes “un-,” “im-,” and “-a,” for example.

• epäonnekas (“unlucky”)
• epämukava (“uncomfortable”)
• epäkohtelias (“impolite”)
• epäkäytännöllinen (“impractical”)
• epätyypillinen (“atypical”)

Ei- is also used as a negative prefix: 

• ei-toivottu (“unwanted”)
• ei-uskonnollinen (“non-religious”)

2 – Suffixes

Suffixes can be used for emphasis in negative statements. For example, if you ever need to deny something or counter an outrageous claim, you can use the suffixes -päs or -kä with the negative verb to emphasize it:

• Olet myöhässä. (“You’re late.”)
• Enpäs ole! (“No, I’m not!”)

• Suomi on vaikea kieli oppia. (“Finnish is a difficult language to learn.”)
• Eikä ole! (“No, it’s not!”)

The suffixes -kaan/-kään can correspond to “neither” or “either,” or even “not after all,” depending on the context:

• En osaa uida. – En minäkään. (“I can’t swim.” – “Me neither.”)
• Ystävänikään ei halua lähteä. (“My friend doesn’t want to leave either.”)
• Ystäväni ei haluakaan lähteä. (“My friend doesn’t want to leave after all.”)

Onko perjantai 13. oikeasti epäonnekas päivä? (“Is Friday the 13th really an unlucky day?”)

7. Negative Conjunctions

Finally, let’s take a quick look at a couple of negative Finnish conjunctions.

The pattern [ negative verb + -kä ] corresponds to “or” or “nor.”

• En voi auttaa sinua enkä perhettäsi. (“I can’t help you or your family.”)
• Emme aio mennä ulos tänään emmekä huomenna. (“We are not planning to go out today or tomorrow.”)

Eikä can also mean “and…not.”

• Anna-Liisa on sairas eikä voi tulla kouluun. (“Anna-Liisa is ill and can’t come to school.”)
• Lapset olivat väsyneitä, eivätkä halunneet nousta sängystä. (“The children were tired and didn’t want to get out of bed.”)

Then we have ettei (“that…not”), which is an example of a Finnish contraction that combines että (“that”) and the negative verb. 

• Toivon, ettet ole vihainen. (“I hope that you are not angry.”)
• Anne kertoi minulle, ettemme ole vieraslistalla. (“Anne told me that we are not on the guest list.”)

Lopuksi

In this in-depth guide to Finnish negation, we’ve explored both basic and advanced rules and vocabulary used to form negative statements, questions, and answers in Finnish. Did we miss any useful negative words or phrases that you know of? Do you have any tips or questions? We’d love to hear from you—leave a comment below!

If you’re ready to learn some more Finnish, FinnishPod101 has plenty of free resources for you to discover, including vocabulary lists with handy audio recordings. Or why not take Finnish lessons with you wherever you go with our free app?

Happy learning!

Conjugating verbs is something that Finnish learners need to tackle very early on in their studies. At first glance, it can look really hard, especially if you’re a beginner and have just started wrapping your head around those personal endings. Just thinking about learning different tenses might make you feel, well, a little tense!

But there’s good news! The Finnish tenses are very similar to their English counterparts, so they should feel quite familiar. What’s even better: Most of the time you’ll be using only two of them. 

In this guide, we’ll take a quick look at the fundamentals of Finnish verb conjugation before focusing on tenses.  Are you excited to start talking about the past, the present, and the future in Finnish?

Table of Contents

1. Finnish Verb Conjugation Basics
2. Preesens (The Present Tense)
3. Talking About the Future in Finnish
4. Past Tenses
5. A Quick Conjugation and Auxiliary Verb Summary
6. Lopuksi

1. Finnish Verb Conjugation Basics

In a nutshell, verb conjugation is the act of making changes to a verb in order to convey who is doing the action, when the action is taking place, and even how the speaker feels about the action.

Tense is what we use to convey when an action is taking place. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s quickly review how to convey who is doing the action. In Finnish, the verb ending changes according to person. These personal endings are added to the stem of the verb.

The personal endings are -n (first singular), -t (second singular), -mme (first plural), -tte (second plural), and -vat/-vät (third plural). For the third singular, depending on the verb, we either use the stem of the word or duplicate the vowel at the end of the word. When using third person verbs, you must remember the vowel harmony.

Conjugating the verb puhua (“to speak”) in the present tense looks like this when the personal endings are added to the verb stem puhu-:

• Minä puhun. (“I speak.”)
• Sinä puhut. (“You speak.”)
• Hän puhuu. (“He/she speaks.”)
• Me puhumme. (“We speak.”)
• Te puhutte. (“You speak.”)
• He puhuvat. (“They speak.”)

Verbs with a personal ending are in the active voice. In other words, we know who is doing the action. In contrast, the passive voice is used in Finnish when it’s not known (or when it’s unimportant) who performs the action. The passive looks like this in the present tense:

• puhutaan (“is spoken”)

In this guide, we’ll stick to the active voice.

1 – How Many Tenses are Used in Finnish?

In Finnish, tenses are called aikamuodot (literally: “time forms”) and they modify a verb according to when the action takes place. There are four tenses in Finnish:

• Preesens (“Present”)
• Imperfekti (“Past”)
• Perfekti (“Perfect”)
• Pluskvamperfekti (“Past-perfect” or “Pluperfect”)

As you can see, there’s no future tense in the list above. We’ll talk more about this later in the ‘future’ section of this guide.

The most important tenses to learn are the present and the past. You can get by reasonably well in everyday conversations using just these two tenses.

Tense is all about the timing of actions.

2 – Grammatical Moods

When we conjugate verbs, we also need to take the mood into account. The mood concerns the speaker’s attitude toward the action. These are called tapaluokat in Finnish (literally: “manner classes”), and there are four:

• Indikatiivi (“Indicative”) is used when an action is considered factual.
• Imperatiivi (“Imperative”) is used when making requests and giving orders.
• Konditionaali (“Conditional”) is used when an action depends on a condition.
• Potentiaali (“Potential”) is used when an action is probable but not certain.

By far, the mood you’ll use most often is the indicative. It’s also the most straightforward of the four, because there’s no indicative mood marker to worry about! The potential, on the other hand, is very rarely used in standard Finnish and should not be a priority to learn.

3 – Simple Tenses & Compound Tenses

What do we mean by ‘simple’ and ‘compound’ tenses? Simple tenses require just a main verb, while a compound tense is formed with the help of an auxiliary verb. In Finnish, they’re known as apuverbit (literally: “help verbs”) and the two main ones are: olla (“to be”) and ei (the negative verb).

When forming compound tenses, the auxiliary verbs are conjugated:

Person	Olla – present	Olla – past	The negative verb
Minä (“I”)	Olen	Olin	En
Sinä (“You”)	Olet	Olit	Et
Hän (“He” / “She”)	On	Oli	Ei
Me (“We”)	Olemme	Olimme	Emme
Te (“You”)	Olette	Olitte	Ette
He (“They”)	Ovat	Olivat	Eivät

Let’s look at a few examples, using the verb puhua (“to speak”).

Simple tense (one verb):

• Minä puhun. (“I speak.”)
• Minä puhuin. (“I spoke.”)

Compound tense (auxiliary verb[s] + main verb):

• Minä olen puhunut. (“I have spoken.”)
• Minä olin puhunut. (“I had spoken.”)
• Minä en puhu. (“I don’t speak.”)
• Minä en puhunut. (“I didn’t speak.”)
• Minä en ole puhunut. (“I have not spoken.”)
• Minä en ollut puhunut. (“I had not spoken.”)

In this guide, we won’t delve any deeper into the use of the negative verb, but you can learn more about the negation of verbs on Wikiwand.

4 – Finnish Verb Types

One more important note before we move on to explore Finnish tenses! Finnish verbs are usually divided into six categories based on what the infinitive form of the verb looks like and how the verb behaves when it’s conjugated.

Type 1 is the most common verb type in Finnish, so we’ll stick to Type 1 verbs—ajaa (“to drive”) and ostaa (“to buy”)—in this guide to keep things simple. If you want to familiarize yourself with all the different Finnish verb types, take a look at a quick overview on Wikipedia.

• You can also learn more Finnish verbs on our 50 Most Common Verbs vocabulary list and study them in more detail on our Finnish Verbs page. 

2. Preesens (The Present Tense)

Preesens, or the Finnish present tense, is used just like the English present tense to talk about actions that are currently taking place as well as habitual actions.

1 – Present Tense, Indicative Mood

The indicative mood, as we’ve discussed, is used when we talk about actions that we consider factual.

Here are a few examples:

• Ajan autoa. (“I’m driving a car.”)
• Ajamme yleensä varovaisesti. (“We usually drive carefully.”)
• Ostan vain leipää tänään. (“I’m buying bread today.”)
• Ostamme luomuvihanneksia aina kun mahdollista. (“We buy organic vegetables whenever possible.”)

Note that there’s no visual difference in Finnish between “I drive” (English simple present) and “I’m driving” (English continuous present). Minä ajan can mean either.

Ajan autoa. (“I’m driving a car.”)

2 – Present Tense, Imperative Mood

You’ll recall that the imperative mood is about making requests, giving orders, and providing instructions.

For example:

• Aja hitaammin. (“Drive slower.” – 2^nd person singular)
• Ajakaa oikealla. (“Drive on the right.” – 2^nd person singular)
• Osta netistä, nouda myymälästä. (“Buy online, pick up from store.” – 2^nd person singular)
• Ostakaa liput ennakkoon. (“Buy tickets in advance.” – 2^nd person plural)

The singular imperative is formed by taking off the personal marker -n from the first person singular form of the verb. The plural imperative is formed by adding -kaa/-kää to the infinitive stem of the verb.

3 – Present Tense, Conditional Mood

To recap, the conditional is used to talk about things that could or would happen under certain circumstances. It can also be used to make a polite request and to express wishes or doubt.

• Ajaisin autoa, jos minulla olisi ajokortti. (“I would drive a car, if I had a driving license.”)
• Ajaisitko mieluummin Ferrarilla vai Porschella? (“Would you rather drive a Ferrari or a Porsche?”)
• Ostaisin kesämökin, jos olisin rikas. (“I would buy a summer cottage, if I were rich.”)
• Ostaisinko uuden mekon juhliin? (“I wonder if I should buy a new dress for the party?”)

The conditional marker is -isi-. Ajaisin (“I would drive”) is composed of aja (stem) + isi (conditional marker) + -n (personal ending).

4 – Present Tense, Potential Mood

The potential mood is rarely used, so we won’t linger on it here. However, if you’re curious, it looks like this:

• Ajanen kohta kotiin. (“I will probably drive home soon.”)
• Lasse ostanee asunnon Kertun kanssa. (“Lasse will probably buy an apartment with Kerttu.”)

In a conversation, it’s more natural to use the indicative mood and a word like varmaan or todennäköisesti (they both mean “probably”):

• Ajan varmaan kohta kotiin. (“I will probably drive home soon.”) 

5 – Time Phrases Used with the Present Tense

Let’s get more specific. Here’s a selection of time phrases that are commonly used with the present tense:

• Tänään (“Today”)
• Nyt (“Now”)
• Juuri nyt (“Right now”)
• Tällä hetkellä (“At this moment”)

These time phrases often appear in statements describing habitual actions:

• Joka päivä (“Everyday”)
• Yleensä (“Usually”)
• Usein (“Often”)
• Aina (“Always”)
• Joskus (“Sometimes”)
• Harvoin (“Seldom”)

For even more words and phrases you can use, head over to our vocabulary list of essential adverbs of frequency and time or learn how to talk about time in Finnish on our blog! 

3. Talking About the Future in Finnish

As mentioned previously, there’s no separate future tense in Finnish. Instead, the present tense is normally used for both. So how do you know if someone is talking about the present or the future?

1 – The Context

 Imagine that your friend says:

• Ostan Ronjalle kukkia.

This could mean:

• “I’m buying Ronja flowers.”
• “I buy Ronja flowers.”
• “I will buy Ronja flowers.”

You can often figure out the meaning from the context:

• Ostan Ronjalle kukkia. Luuletko, että hän pitäisi näistä ruusuista? (“I’m buying Ronja flowers. Do you think she would like these roses?”)
• Ostan Ronjalle kukkia vähintään kerran kuukaudessa. (“I buy Ronja flowers at least once a month.”)
• Ostan Ronjalle kukkia, jos hän suostuu lähtemään treffeille kanssani. (“I will buy Ronja flowers, if she agrees to go on a date with me.”)

2 – Time Phrases Used When Talking About the Future

We can also make it clear that we’re talking about the future by using time phrases. Common ones include:

• Huomenna (“Tomorrow”)
• Ylihuomenna (“The day after tomorrow”)
• Ensi viikolla (“Next week”)
• Ensi vuonna (“Next year”)
• Kuukauden päästä (“In a month’s time”)

4. Past Tenses

There are three past tenses in Finnish, so let’s take a closer look at each one.

1 – Imperfekti (The Simple Past Tense)

Imperfekti corresponds to the simple past tense in English. It’s the most commonly used past tense in everyday conversations. It describes actions that were completed at some point before the present moment.

For example:

• Ajoin autoa eilen ensimmäistä kertaa. (“I drove a car yesterday for the first time.”)
• He ajoivat kotiin sanomatta sanaakaan. (“They drove home without saying a word.”)
• Ostimme kaksi paitaa yhden hinnalla. (“We bought two shirts for the price of one.”)
• Petra osti värityskirjan hetken mielijohteesta. (“Petra bought a coloring book on the spur of the moment.”)

The marker for the past tense is usually -i-, though it can also appear as -oi- or -si-, depending on the verb.

Time Phrases Used When Talking About the Past

Common time phrases that are often used with the Finnish past tense include:

• Eilen (“Yesterday”)
• Toissapäivänä (“The day before yesterday”)
• Viikko sitten (“A week ago”)
• Viime vuonna (“Last year”)
• Vuonna 2000 (“In the year 2000”)

2 – Perfekti (The Perfect Tense)

Perfekti corresponds to the English perfect tense. It can describe actions that started in the past and are still happening, or actions that took place in the past but are still relevant to the present moment.

The Finnish perfect tense is a compound tense. It’s formed with the help of the auxiliary verb olla (“to be”), which is conjugated in the present tense, while the main verb takes the active past participle (also known as the NUT-participle) form.

 Examples:

• Risto on ajanut taksia työkseen kymmenen vuotta. (“Risto has been driving a taxi for a living for ten years.”)
• Olemme ostaneet vihanneksia ja leipää. Mitä muuta tarvitsemme? (“We have bought vegetables and bread. What else do we need?”)

In the first example, the action continues (Risto is still driving a taxi for a living). In the second example, the past (what was bought) is relevant to the present (what still needs to be bought).

3 – Pluskvamperfekti (The Past Perfect Tense)

Pluskvamperfekti corresponds to the English past perfect tense. The past perfect tense is usually paired with the past tense, conveying a relationship between two separate past actions.

The past perfect tense is also a compound tense. It’s formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb olla (“to be”) in the past tense, while the main verb takes the active past participle form again.

For example:

• Olin ajanut noin kolme tuntia, kun päätin pitää kahvitauon. (“I had driven for about three hours when I decided to have a coffee break.”)
• Reetta oli ostanut lipun ennakkoon, koska hän ei halunnut jonottaa. (“Reetta had bought a ticket in advance, because she didn’t want to queue.”)

5. A Quick Conjugation and Auxiliary Verb Summary

Finally, let’s look at those four tenses side by side for comparison. In this table, we’ve conjugated the verb ostaa (“to buy”). The verb is conjugated in the active voice and in the indicative mood.

Person	Tense
	Simple Tense		Compound Tense
	Present	Past	Perfect	Past perfect
Minä (“I”)	Ostan	Ostin	Olen ostanut	Olin ostanut
Sinä (“You”)	Ostat	Ostit	Olet ostanut	Olit ostanut
Hän (“He” / “She”)	Ostaa	Osti	On ostanut	Oli ostanut
Me (“We”)	Ostamme	Ostimme	Olemme ostaneet	Olimme ostaneet
Te (“You”)	Ostatte	Ostitte	Olette ostaneet	Olitte ostaneet
He (“They”)	Ostavat	Ostivat	Ovat ostaneet	Olivat ostaneet

If you’d like to see all the different ways you can conjugate ostaa at a glance, try out the handy Cooljugator.

6. Lopuksi

In this guide, we’ve discussed the many ways that Finnish verbs can be conjugated, with a focus on the four Finnish tenses (preesens, imperfekti, perfekti, and pluskvamperfekti). Were you surprised that there’s no future tense in Finnish?

If you’re a beginner, we recommend prioritizing the present tense and the past tense. It’s also a good idea to learn how to conjugate each verb type one at a time, starting with Type 1, which is the most common Finnish verb type. Once you’re comfortable with the basics, it’ll be easier to expand your conjugating skills! And if you’re further along in your Finnish studies, we’d love to hear about your experiences with Finnish tenses so far, especially if you have any good learning tips to share with the community!

Don’t forget that FinnishPod101 has plenty of free resources to help you at every stage of your learning journey. Our vocabulary lists come with audio recordings to help you with pronunciation, and our grammar section is the place to visit if you want to master the Finnish alphabet, for example! Furthermore, doors to our Premium PLUS subscription are always open, so get in touch if you think you could benefit from one-on-one coaching. Our experienced teachers are more than happy to help you with verb conjugation or any other aspect of Finnish that you’re struggling to grasp.

Happy learning!

If you’re like most aspiring language learners, this question has likely crossed your mind: How long does it take to learn Finnish? 

The answer is, of course: It depends! 

In order to work out a realistic estimate, there are many factors to consider. These include your native tongue, how experienced you are at learning languages, and your learning environment, for example. We’ll look at each of these factors to help you work out how much time you might need; we’ll also give you some tips on how to learn the Finnish language more effectively! 

Another thing to consider is what proficiency level you’re talking about. Is your goal to master the basics of the Finnish language, to become a fluent Finnish speaker, or something in-between? Whether it’s the beginner, intermediate, or advanced proficiency level you’re aiming for, there are several tips and tricks you can utilize right from the start to learn Finnish faster.

Ready, steady, learn Finnish!

Table of Contents

1. The Factors That Influence Your Learning Speed
2. How Long Does it Take to Achieve a Beginner Level?
3. How Long Does it Take to Achieve an Intermediate Level?
4. How Long Does it Take to Achieve an Advanced Level?
5. Lopuksi

1. The Factors That Influence Your Learning Speed

The FSI (Foreign Service Institute) has ranked Finnish as a Category III language. This means that, based on the differences between English and Finnish, Finnish is one of the harder languages for English speakers to learn. According to this ranking, it should take approximately 1100 hours or 44 weeks on average for an English-speaking learner to reach a general proficiency level in Finnish. This corresponds to the level B2 in CEFR, Level 3 on FinnishPod101, and Level 4 of YKI (the official Finnish language proficiency test).

Naturally, we’re not all going to progress at the exact same speed. In this section, we’ll consider the most important variables to take into account when working out your own estimate. Keep these in mind when we move on to the next section, where we’ll discuss what skills you should have mastered by the time you reach levels A1, B1, and C1, and what you can do to reach these proficiency levels a bit faster!

Your Language Background 

While you’re reading this article in English, perhaps it’s not your native tongue. Or maybe you are a native English speaker, but have also learned another language or two. The languages you know can potentially make a huge difference in how fast you can learn Finnish.

For example, if you speak Turkish or Indonesian, the fact that Finnish is an agglutinative language will not baffle you. Or if you know Hungarian or Estonian—languages that share roots with Finnish—you’ll have no trouble with the concept of using a large number of grammatical cases. In other words, the more linguistic aspects Finnish shares with the languages you already know, the easier it will be for you to learn the language. 

• Curious about how closely related the languages you speak are to Finnish? This language family tree beautifully illustrates the relationships between different languages.

Your Language Learning Experience  

How strong is your language learning game?

Research shows that language learning skills are transferable. Therefore, even if the languages that you’ve studied before are not exactly similar to Finnish, those past learning experiences will have developed and strengthened many cognitive skills that will also help you with your Finnish studies.

Furthermore, having a language learning success already under your belt, you’ll feel more confident in your own abilities and will know which learning methods work best for you.

Your Motivation Levels

Why do you want to study Finnish?

The goal you have in mind matters and can make a real difference in how fast you’ll progress. The more passionate you feel about learning Finnish, the easier it will be to motivate yourself to put in the necessary effort and carve out the time to keep at it even when life gets busy.

So what are your reasons? Do you want to travel or live in Finland? Have you fallen in love with the Finnish language—or a Finn? Are you simply looking for something fun and challenging to do, and learning Finnish seems to fit the bill? Whatever it is, be prepared to remind yourself why you’ve decided to do this on a regular basis, especially if you ever find yourself frustrated and unmotivated. Keeping that passion alive is important in learning Finnish faster!

Your Learning Environment

How, where, and with whom you’re studying all play a role in how long it takes to learn Finnish.

There are many ways to learn a language, and your choices can influence how quickly and efficiently you’ll develop your skills. You could learn in a formal setting under the guidance of a qualified teacher, enroll in an online course, or teach yourself using books or an app, for example.

The more independent your approach to learning Finnish, the more self-motivated you need to be to make steady progress. It’s always a good idea to mix various learning tools, and to try connecting with other learners even if you’re otherwise studying by yourself. And if it’s an option, completely immersing yourself into the language by spending time in Finland is the best way to really speed up your Finnish learning. We’ll talk more about that later!

Connect with other language learners for mutual support.

2. How Long Does it Take to Achieve a Beginner Level?

So you’d like to reach a beginner level in Finnish? Let’s see what that involves.

The beginner level A1 in CEFR corresponds to YKI 1.

At this level, you will have learned…

• …basic vocabulary such as common nouns, colors, numbers, and days of the week.
• …everyday expressions, such as hei (“hi”), kiitos (“thank you”), and näkemiin (“goodbye”).
• …how to ask and answer basic personal questions and how to form very simple sentences.
• …how to conjugate common verb types in the present tense.
• …how to form the t-plural.
• …the basics of using the most common grammatical cases.

How quickly can you expect to reach level A1 in Finnish? It should take roughly 140 to 180 hours.

Tips for Reaching the A1 Level in Finnish Faster

Wondering how to learn basic Finnish easily? 

First piece of advice: Keep it fun! Now is not the time to get bogged down in complex grammar concepts. Focus on the basics—pronunciation, key vocabulary, and simple phrases—to build your confidence. Start talking as soon as you can, and don’t be too afraid of making mistakes.

Frequent repetition is key when you’re learning a completely new language, so rather than scheduling a marathon session once a week, try to incorporate Finnish learning into your daily life as much as you can. Using a language learning app is a fun way to turn frequent downtime (like your morning commute or waiting for a friend) into an opportunity to pick up a couple of new words or to practice introducing yourself in Finnish. And using flashcards is always a neat way to memorize essential phrases and core vocabulary faster.

FinnishPod101 Beginner Lessons

Our curated pathway for Level 1 Finnish is a great place to start learning Finnish. The 32 lessons included in the pathway make up about 5 hours of audio, and you can test your skills along the way with 12 interactive assignments.

In the first lesson, Welcome to Finland, you’ll learn simple dialogue, vocabulary, and grammar. You’ll have access to audio recordings, comprehensive lesson notes, and a lesson transcript. You have the option of listening to the recordings at either normal or slow speed, and you can also record yourself to improve your pronunciation. The lesson notes introduce you to essential grammar points and the Finnish alphabet. Finally, the section on cultural insights helps you put your new skills into use in real life!

Take Finnish lessons with you anywhere with a mobile app.

3. How Long Does it Take to Achieve an Intermediate Level?

The intermediate level B1 in CEFR corresponds to YKI 3. This is the level that you would need to reach if you wanted to pass a Finnish language exam in order to apply for a Finnish citizenship.

At this level, you should be able to…

• …pronounce Finnish clearly and understandably.
• …write everyday vocabulary without mistakes.
• …use adverbs, as well as comparative and superlative adjectives.
• …read and understand simple news articles.
• …express opinions and describe how you’re feeling.
• …ask for and give directions and advice.
• …use common idioms.
• …conjugate verbs in different tenses.
• …use most grammatical cases.

How quickly can you expect to reach level B1 in Finnish? It should take roughly 630 to 730 hours.

Tips for Reaching the B1 Level in Finnish Faster

It’s quite a jump from absolute beginner to intermediate! To reach this level quickly, you’ll want to make sure that you’re covering all the different language learning bases: grammar, vocabulary, reading and listening comprehension, and writing and speaking skills. If you can, take progress tests on a regular basis to identify which areas need more work.

At this point, you’ll also want to immerse yourself in Finnish as much as you can. Listen to Finnish music, watch Finnish films and TV shows with subtitles, and find interesting things to read (anything from short news stories to web comics). To hone your writing skills, try keeping a simple journal in Finnish, or write to your language learning buddies or Finnish friends.

Check out our guide on must-watch Finnish TV shows to get started with your immersion!

FinnishPod101 Intermediate Lessons

Our curated pathway for Level 3 Finnish will build your confidence and help you express yourself in a range of situations, from ordering food to opening a bank account. It will also deepen your understanding of grammatical cases and different tenses.

The first lesson, A Finnish Job Interview, introduces work-related vocabulary, which you can add to a personalized flashcard deck or a word bank. The grammar notes walk you through how to use the present tense to discuss your qualities as a candidate and the past perfect tense to describe your work history. You can take a quiz after the lesson to see how well you can remember the new vocabulary!

Find something enjoyable to watch in Finnish to accelerate your learning.

4. How Long Does it Take to Achieve an Advanced Level?

The advanced level C1 in CEFR corresponds to YKI 5.

At this level, you’ll feel very comfortable communicating in Finnish and can…

• …speak fluently and spontaneously about a large range of topics in both personal and professional contexts.
• …follow discussions, TV shows, and films with ease.
• …understand literary texts and specialized vocabulary.
• …compose detailed and well-structured texts on a wide range of topics.
• …use complex grammar correctly.

So how long does it take to learn Finnish fluently? You’re probably looking at about 1550 to 1650 hours.

Tips for Reaching the C1 Level in Finnish Faster

It takes commitment to take your language skills to the advanced level. The best way to get there faster, of course, is to spend time in Finland. Your language skills will be reinforced constantly and you’ll absorb new vocabulary quickly when you’re hearing, seeing, and speaking Finnish on a daily basis.

What if spending time in Finland is not an option for you? In that case, find other ways to make Finnish an integral part of your daily life. If you don’t know any native Finnish speakers, try an online conversation exchange to practice talking in Finnish. If you’re on social media a lot, follow interesting Finnish people and organizations to see Finnish content on your timeline—make sure to leave some comments in Finnish, too! Combine your favorite hobbies with your language learning by listening to Finnish podcasts, playing games in Finnish, or cooking your next meal following a recipe in Finnish.

To make sure that your grammar and pronunciation are up to scratch, it’s a good idea to seek detailed feedback from an experienced teacher.

FinnishPod101 Advanced Lessons

Our curated pathway for Level 5 Finnish focuses on growing your vocabulary, boosting your reading and listening skills, familiarizing you with complex grammar, and immersing you deeper in Finnish culture.

In the first lesson, Top 10 Finnish Tourist Destinations: Inari, you can hear or read about this northern destination in both Finnish and English to hone your comprehension skills.

At an advanced level, you can easily participate in real-life conversations.

Lopuksi

In this article, we’ve considered the various factors that can make learning Finnish easier, discussed the different levels of Finnish proficiency, and shared various language learning tips to help you reach your learning goals faster. We hope that this information has been useful to you!

Or perhaps you already know Finnish? If so, share your experiences with the community in the comments below! How long did it take you to learn Finnish? What proficiency level have you reached? Which tools have you found especially useful?

Whether you’re an absolute beginner or have already mastered an intermediate level of Finnish, we have lots of resources and tools for you at FinnishPod101. Get started with free resources, or learn new words and correct pronunciation with our vocabulary lists. For a personalized lesson plan and one-on-one tutoring with an experienced Finnish teacher to fast-track you to Finnish fluency, try our Premium PLUS account.

Happy learning, and good luck!

Proverbs: every language has these little nuggets of wisdom that everyone seems to know and use on a regular basis. Finnish is no exception—there are lots of Finnish proverbs that are commonly used in everyday conversations. Some of them are borrowed from other languages, while others are unique to Finnish. Those in the latter category create a particularly fascinating window into the Finnish mindset and culture!

For a language learner, studying proverbs can be a really fun way to build language skills and pick up new vocabulary. In this article, we’ll teach you some of the best Finnish proverbs and their equivalents in English (where applicable).

Let’s get started!

Impress your Finnish friends by learning proverbs in Finnish.

Table of Contents

1. Proverbs About Wisdom
2. Proverbs About Caution
3. Proverbs About Learning
4. Proverbs About Family
5. Proverbs About Love
6. Proverbs About Courage
7. Proverbs About Being Home and Abroad
8. Miscellaneous Proverbs
9. Lopuksi

1. Proverbs About Wisdom

Proverbs are known for their ability to deliver little bundles of wisdom in a brief (and often witty) phrase. Below are a few popular Finnish sayings about wisdom and how to live life well. 

Finnish	Parempi pyy pivossa kuin kymmenen oksalla.
Literally	“Better a hazel grouse in fist than ten on a branch.”
Equivalent	A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.
What you already have is of greater benefit to you than things that are more valuable but out of reach. Note that pivo is an archaic Finnish word for koura (“fist”) or kourallinen (“fistful”). Joonas on aina ollut varovainen sijoittaja. Parempi pyy pivossa kuin kymmenen oksalla, hän sanoo usein.  “Joonas has always been a careful investor. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush, he often says.”

Finnish	Ei auta itku markkinoilla.
Literally	“It’s no use crying at the marketplace.”
Equivalent	It’s no use crying over spilled milk.
The world is tough, and tears won’t help. This proverb is used when something doesn’t go according to plan and nothing can be done about it. Pihla myöhästyi linja-autosta. Ei auta itku markkinoilla—hänen täytyy vaan kävellä kotiin.  “Pihla missed the bus. It’s no use crying over spilled milk—she simply has to walk home.”

Finnish	Älä nuolaise ennen kuin tipahtaa.
Literally	“Do not lick before it drops.”
Equivalent	Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
Avoid celebrating too soon or making plans based on a future event that may or may not happen. Älä nuolaise ennen kuin tipahtaa—finaali on vielä edessä.  “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch—the final is still ahead.”

Finnish	Hiljaa hyvä tulee.
Literally	“Slowly it’ll go well.”
Equivalent	Slow and steady wins the race.
Proceed slowly and carefully if you want good results. Kiirehtiminen johtaa virheisiin. Hiljaa hyvä tulee. “Rushing leads to mistakes. Slow and steady wins the race.”

Hiljaa hyvä tulee. / “Slow and steady wins the race.”

• Eager for even more wisdom? Our free vocabulary list of the Top 10 Inspirational Quotes in Finnish has you covered.

2. Proverbs About Caution

When was the last time you got hurt or made a poor decision because you didn’t practice caution? It happens to all of us, but can definitely be avoided! The following Finnish expressions talk about the importance of caution in everyday life. 

Finnish	Ei savua ilman tulta.
Equivalent	There’s no smoke without fire.
Rumors often have some truth behind them. En halua uskoa kaikkia huhuja, mutta ei savua ilman tulta.  “I don’t want to believe all the rumors, but there’s no smoke without fire.”

Finnish	Parempi katsoa kuin katua.
Literally	“It’s better to look than to regret.”
Equivalent	Better safe than sorry.
A cautious approach can save you from harm. Riskinotto ei kiinnosta minua. Parempi katsoa kuin katua.  “Risk-taking doesn’t interest me. Better safe than sorry.”

Finnish	Itku pitkästä ilosta.
Literally	“Tears after long-lasting joy.”
Equivalent	It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye.
A rather gloomy proverb, this one is often used to warn children about playing too roughly. Kohta käy huonosti, jos ette leiki vähän varovaisemmin. Itku pitkästä ilosta!  “Soon something bad will happen if you don’t play a bit more carefully. It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye!”

Finnish	Valheella on lyhyet jäljet.
Literally	“A lie has short tracks.”
Equivalent	A lie has no legs.
According to this proverb, lying isn’t worth it because falsehoods get exposed quickly. (Though this might actually not be true: according to a study by MIT researchers, false news spreads far more rapidly than true stories, at least on Twitter.) Pekka ei ole vieläkään oppinut että valheella on lyhyet jäljet.  “Pekka has still not learned that a lie has no legs.”

A sign warns of danger.

• Better safe than sorry. Prepare for the worst by learning Finnish phrases to use in an emergency.

3. Proverbs About Learning

Are you feeling discouraged with your Finnish studies, thinking about taking on a new hobby, or about to start classes at university? It sounds like you’re in need of some motivation and practical advice! Here are the best Finnish proverbs about learning to give you just that… 

Finnish	Kukaan ei ole seppä syntyessään.
Literally	“No one is a blacksmith when they are born.”
Equivalent	Practice makes perfect.
You need to put effort into learning new skills. Älä huoli, Antero! Jatka vaan harjoittelua—kukaan ei ole seppä syntyessään.  “Don’t worry, Antero! Just keep practicing—no one is a blacksmith when they are born.”

Finnish	Kertaus on kaikkien opintojen äiti.
Equivalent	Repetition is the mother of all learning.
Every language learner knows this! Repetition really helps you remember things, whether you’re learning grammar rules or new vocabulary. Sallan opettaja muistutti oppilaitaan aina ennen kokeita, että kertaus on kaikkien opintojen äiti.  “Salla’s teacher always reminded her students before tests that repetition is the mother of all learning.”

Finnish	Oppia ikä kaikki
Literally	“To learn at any age”
Equivalent	Live and learn.
Learning new things never ends! This proverb is especially apt when you come across a piece of information that you find surprising. En tiennyt, että Australiassa on pingviinejä. Oppia ikä kaikki.  “I didn’t know that there are penguins in Australia. Live and learn.”

• Interested in reading more wise words about learning? Then visit our list of the Top 10 Quotes About Language Learning.

4. Proverbs About Family

The relationship we have with our family is precious, and it’s one of the most important relationships we’ll have in life. That said, here are a few Finnish proverbs on the topic of family! 

Finnish	Ei omena kauas puusta putoa.
Equivalent	An apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Children get not only their physical appearance from their parents, but often their character traits too—for good or for ill! Näyttää että Erkistä on tulossa yhtä taitava jääkiekonpelaaja kuin isästään. Ei omena kauas puusta putoa.  “It looks like Erkki is becoming as talented an ice hockey player as his father. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Finnish	Veri on vettä sakeampaa.
Equivalent	Blood is thicker than water.
Familial ties are stronger than any other bonds we make throughout life. Vaikka tappelemme usein, olen aina valmis puolustamaan veljeäni, sillä veri on vettä sakeampaa.  “Even though we fight often, I’m always ready to defend my brother, because blood is thicker than water.”

A family enjoys a walk in the woods.

• We have more wisdom on family ties for you! Check out our list of the Top 10 Quotes About Family.

5. Proverbs About Love

Whether you have a Finnish sweetheart or just want to learn some lighthearted quips on the topic of romance, these Finnish proverbs about love are exactly what you need!  

Finnish	Tie miehen sydämeen käy vatsan kautta.
Equivalent	The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.
According to this proverb, cooking a delicious dinner may be the surest way to win a man’s affections. Kati on aina sanonut, että tie miehen sydämeen käy vatsan kautta. Ja ehkä hän on oikeassa—Katin oma mies kosi syötyään hänen lohikeittoaan!  “Kati has always said that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. And perhaps she’s right—Kati’s own husband proposed after eating her salmon soup!”

Finnish	Rakkaudesta se hevonenkin potkii.
Literally	“The horse kicks out of love too.”
This proverb claims that people sometimes show their love in very strange ways! Kaarina väittää, että Eemeli aina kiusaa Tanjaa siksi koska tykkää hänestä. Rakkaudesta se hevonenkin potkii, hän sanoi!  “Kaarina claims that Eemeli is always teasing Tanja because he likes her. The horse kicks out of love too, she said!”

Finnish	Vanha suola janottaa.
Literally	“Old salt makes one thirsty.”
This saying refers to a situation where one still harbors romantic feelings for someone from the past. Kuulitko, että Katri on taas nähty Esan kanssa? Taitaa vanha suola janottaa.  “Did you hear that Katri has been seen with Esa again? Seems that old salt is making her thirsty.”

A couple enjoys a romantic dinner.

• Feeling romantic? Why not learn a few Finnish quotes about love?

6. Proverbs About Courage

Some of the best things in life are only achieved after facing one’s fears or making a bold move. Here are a couple of Finnish proverbs on the topic of courage. 

Finnish	Rohkea rokan syö.
Literally	“The brave will eat the soup.”
Equivalent	Fortune favors the bold.
If you want to achieve something great, you need to be brave and go for it. Why rokka (“soup” colloquial), though? Possibly because it alliterates with rohkea (“brave”)! According to the Tiede magazine, this Finnish proverb might be over a thousand years old. The brave one gets the catch and can fill his stomach.  The proverb used to continue with …ujo kuolee nälkään, kaino ei saa kaaliakaan (“…the shy one will die of hunger, the coy one won’t get even a cabbage”). Rohkea rokan syö, ajatteli Salli mennessään pyytämään palkankorotusta.  “Fortune favors the brave, thought Salli on her way to ask for a raise.”

Finnish	Yrittänyttä ei laiteta.
Literally	“Who has tried will not be scolded.”
Equivalent	Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
You won’t get anything if you don’t try—and according to this proverb, a Finn will not judge you if you’ve done at least that much! (Note that “to scold” is an archaic meaning for the verb laittaa.) Tommia ärsyttää, jos joku luovuttaa yrittämättä—‘yrittänyttä ei laiteta’ on hänen mottonsa.  “Tommi finds it annoying if someone gives up without trying—‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ is his motto.”

A skydiver.

• Do you believe courage trumps caution when it comes to success? Read our list of the top 11 Finnish quotes about success to see what others think.

7. Proverbs About Being Home and Abroad

Do you love to travel or are you more of a homebody? (Or maybe a little bit of both?) In either case, here are some proverbs in Finnish that discuss travel and home time. 

Finnish	Oma koti kullan kallis.
Literally	“One’s own home is worth gold.”
Equivalent	Home sweet home.
Home: the best place in the world! Oma koti kullan kallis, Erja huokaisi laskiessaan matkalaukkunsa lattialle.  “Home sweet home, Erja sighed as she put her suitcase down on the floor.”

Finnish	Maassa maan tavalla.
Literally	“In a country according to its customs.”
Equivalent	When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Anyone who’s traveled a lot knows to follow this golden rule! Adapting to local customs when abroad makes for richer experiences. Näytin varmaan hassulta kun yritin käyttää syömäpuikkoja, mutta maassa maan tavalla.  “I probably looked silly when I tried to use chopsticks, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

Finnish	Oma maa mansikka, muu maa mustikka.
Literally	“One’s own country (is) a strawberry, another country a blueberry.”
Equivalent	“There’s no place like home.”
This proverb tells us that one’s own country is the best place in the world. Ulkomailla on aina kiva käydä, mutta en haluaisi asua missään muualla kuin Suomessa. Oma maa mansikka, muu maa mustikka, eikö totta?  “It’s always nice to go abroad for a visit, but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else but Finland. There’s no place like home, right?”

A family sits in front of their home.

• Are you planning to visit Finland? Then we recommend you learn some Survival Phrases in Finnish and the Top 30 Finnish Travel Phrases.

8. Miscellaneous Proverbs

To wrap up, let’s look at a few more Finnish proverbs on a variety of topics… 

Finnish	Mikä laulaen tulee, se viheltäen menee.
Literally	“What comes singing, goes whistling.”
Equivalent	Easy come, easy go.
Things that are easy to come by tend to be just as easy to lose. Or perhaps we simply don’t care that much about losing them! Kuulitko, että Kirsi voitti ison summan rahaa mutta kulutti sen kokonaan kahdessa kuukaudessa? Tyypillistä—mikä laulaen tulee, se viheltäen menee.  “Did you hear that Kirsi won a great sum of money but spent it all in two months? Typical—easy come, easy go.”

Finnish	Loppu hyvin, kaikki hyvin.
Equivalent	All’s well that ends well.
Often, it’s all about the happy ending—no matter what trials we had to get through first. Terhi myöhästyi omista häistään, mutta se ei onneksi pilannut juhlaa. Loppu hyvin, kaikki hyvin!  “Terhi was late for her own wedding, but luckily it didn’t ruin the celebration. All’s well that ends well!”

Finnish	Kolmas kerta toden sanoo.
Literally	“Third time speaks the truth.”
Equivalent	Third time’s a charm.
This one is slightly mysterious. Why are we more likely to succeed on our third try? Perhaps failing twice at something makes for an effective learning experience. Teppo oli pettynyt, kun hän ei läpäissyt ajokoetta toisellakaan yrittämällä. ’Kolmas kerta toden sanoo’, muistutin häntä.  “Teppo was disappointed when he didn’t pass the driving test even on his second attempt. ‘Third time’s a charm,’ I reminded him.”

Finnish	Parempi myöhään kuin ei milloinkaan.
Equivalent	Better late than never.
Even if it takes a long time to achieve something, it’s still better than not succeeding at all. Tuula kertoi minulle, että hän on vihdoin valmistunut. Niinkö? Parempi myöhään kuin ei milloinkaan!  “Tuula told me that she has finally graduated. Really? Better late than never!”

Finnish	Hätä ei lue lakia.
Literally	“An emergency does not read the law.”
Equivalent	Necessity knows no law.
Similar to the proverb “desperate times call for desperate measures,” this proverb asserts that in a dire situation, it may be necessary to break the law. Olen aina ollut lainkuuliainen, mutta kiperässä tilanteessa minäkin rikkoisin sääntöjä, sillä hätä ei lue lakia.  “I have always been law-abiding, but in a tricky situation even I would break rules, because necessity knows no law.”

Finnish	Tarkoitus pyhittää keinot.
Literally	“The purpose sanctifies the means.”
Equivalent	The end justifies the means.
Similar to the previous proverb, this proverb claims that unethical actions can be forgiven if the outcome is beneficial. A: ‘Sinä siis varastit auttaaksesi vähäosaisia?’ B: ‘Kyllä, tarkoitus pyhittää keinot, eikö niin?’  A: “So you stole to help the poor?”B: “Yes, the end justifies the means, doesn’t it?”

Finnish	Paistaa se päivä risukasaankin.
Literally	“The day will shine even into a pile of twigs.”
Equivalent	Every dog has his day.
Do you ever feel like everything is going wrong for you? This proverb is here to assure us that even the most unfortunate will enjoy success at times! Sanoin Petterille ettei pidä koskaan luovuttaa, koska paistaa se päivä risukasaankin.  “I told Petteri that one should never give up, because every dog has his day.”

Finnish	Vaihtelu virkistää.
Literally	“Change refreshes.”
Equivalent	Variety is the spice of life.
Big or small, changes can indeed be refreshing. Janne ja Elina päättivät yhtäkkiä muuttaa maalle. Kun kysyin heiltä miksi, he sanoivat vain että vaihtelu virkistää.  “Janne and Elina suddenly decided to move to the country. When I asked them why, they simply said that variety is the spice of life.”

Finnish	Hädässä ystävä tunnetaan.
Literally	“In an emergency, a friend is known.”
Equivalent	A friend in need is a friend indeed.
True friends will support you when you’re in trouble, while fair-weather friends quickly disappear. Sirpa ei epäröinyt hetkeäkään kun pyysin apua. On totta, että hädässä ystävä tunnetaan!  “Sirpa didn’t hesitate even for a moment when I asked for help. It’s true that a friend in need is a friend indeed!”

Finnish	Aika parantaa haavat.
Literally	“Time heals wounds.”
Equivalent	Time heals all wounds.
According to folk wisdom, even the bitterest disappointment and the worst kind of heartbreak will heal over time. Avioero on usein tuskallinen kokemus, mutta aika parantaa haavat.  “A divorce is often a painful experience, but time heals all wounds.”

Have you experienced heartbreak? Read our list of Finnish Break-Up Quotes to read what others have to say about it.

Hädässä ystävä tunnetaan. / “A friend in need is a friend indeed.”

9. Lopuksi

In this guide, we dived deep into Finnish wisdom and learned some of the most commonly used Finnish proverbs about a variety of topics, from courage to love. Were there any that you particularly liked or had heard before? If you know any other Finnish proverbs, feel free to share with the community by leaving a comment below! 

We have a lot for you to explore on FinnishPod101.com if you’re interested in learning more about the Finnish language and culture. Get started with our free Finnish resources, or take a look at our expansive collection of Finnish vocabulary lists with audio recordings. Have fun learning with FinnishPod101!

It’s always fun to spot a familiar word or two when you’re learning a new language—it’s like getting a freebie! English loanwords are common in many languages, and plenty have been incorporated into Finnish over time. The earliest English loanwords were introduced into Finnish in the nineteenth century. Globalization and the internet have accelerated the process, and new loanwords are entering our language faster than ever. Sometimes, English is mixed so liberally with Finnish that the end result is known as Finglish.

In this article, we’ll answer your burning questions about English words in Finnish. For example, what exactly is Finglish? And how do you tell the difference between Finglish and the use of loanwords? Do loanwords change over time? Are English loanwords and Finnish grammar a good fit? How do Finns feel about the influx of English words? Are there any Finnish loanwords in the English language? 

Let’s find out!

Languages have always influenced one another.

Table of Contents

1. Finglish and Loanwords – What’s the Difference?
2. English Loanwords in Finnish
3. More About Finglish
4. When Finnish and English Clash
5. Finnish Loanwords in English
6. Lopuksi

1. Finglish and Loanwords – What’s the Difference?

First of all, let’s clarify the difference between the use of English loanwords and speaking Finglish.

Loanwords

Loanwords are words that have crossed from one language to another and have become more or less established. These words may retain their original spelling and pronunciation in their new environment, though they may also be adapted in different ways to better fit within the structures of the host language.

Why do we use loanwords? Often, English loanwords are borrowed when a native Finnish word doesn’t yet exist for that thing (this is commonly the case with technological terminology). Other times, an English word may be borrowed because it’s more succinct, exact, or comprehensive than a Finnish alternative—or just because it’s trendy!

In a bit, we’ll take a look at three different categories of English loanwords used in Finnish.

Finglish

The word ‘Finglish’ was first coined to describe the language spoken by Finnish immigrants in North America. Today, speaking Finglish refers to the act of peppering one’s Finnish with an excess of English words and expressions to such an extent that the end result sounds like some sort of strange hybrid language. We’ll come back to Finglish later in this article.

Finglish is strongly associated with internet slang and youth culture.

2. English Loanwords in Finnish

As you learn Finnish, you’ll come across many loanwords that you’ll instantly recognize. There are other loanwords that may look familiar yet strange at the same time. The difference usually comes down to how long ago the word was borrowed. The longer a loanword has been used in Finland, the more likely it is that it has gradually changed to resemble native Finnish words.

Let’s look at three different groups of loanwords.

Non-Integrated Loanwords

This type of loanword is known as sitaattilaina (literally: “citation loan”) in Finnish. These words are borrowed from English exactly as they are, complete with their original spelling and pronunciation. In other words, these are the true freebies for a language learner!

Non-integrated English loanwords are frequently seen in the fields of technology, business, social media, food, music, and sports. Proper nouns (such as Sydney) are also adopted from English without any changes.  

A loanword may also appear as part of a compound word:

• cashewpähkinä (“cashew nut”)

Sometimes, a Finnish term exists but the English loanword is more popular. For example, popcorn is used far more often than paukkumaissi. 

Let’s take a look at some examples of these common English words in Finnish:

Information technology

• Bluetooth
• Internet
• Hands free
• Online

Hands free – laitteiden kysyntä on selvästi vähentynyt.
“The demand for hands-free devices has clearly decreased.”

→ Can you spot other English loanwords on our technology vocabulary list?

Food

• Popcorn
• Smoothie
• Brownie
• Hot dog

Hanna-tädin browniet ovat ihania. 
“Aunt Hanna’s brownies are wonderful.”

→ Learn how to say “I am going to buy popcorn and drinks,” and other useful Finnish words and phrases for going to the movies on FinnishPod101.com.

Sports

• Curling
• Squash
• Baseball
• Golf

Tiesitkö, että curling kehitettiin Skotlannissa? 
“Did you know that curling was developed in Scotland?”

→ Spot even more familiar words on our Olympic sports vocabulary list.

Work

• Freelance
• Bonus
• Copywriter
• Deadline

Yrityksemme uusi copywriter aloitti työt viime maanantaina. 
“The new copywriter in our company started working last Monday.”

→ Learn the word for ‘Christmas bonus’ on our vocabulary list for talking about the workplace in Finnish.

Music

• Rock
• Pop
• Blues
• Heavy metal

Heavy metal on todella suosittu musiikkilaji Suomessa. 
“Heavy metal is a really popular musical genre in Finland.

→ “Learn more Finnish music vocabulary on FinnishPod101.com.

Finns favor the word popcorn over paukkumaissi.

Partially and Fully Integrated Loanwords

Non-integrated loanwords tend to be relatively new additions to the Finnish language. That’s because few English loanwords survive in their original form forever; most go through various changes over time to make them a more natural fit for Finnish.

Remember how Finnish has an almost complete agreement between letters and sounds? A lot of the changes that loanwords undergo simply reduce the discord between pronunciation and spelling.

 Common changes to loanwords include:

• The replacement of letters like b, d, g, f, x, and q with letters that are more common in Finnish
• The replacement of the letters a and o with the letters ä and ö to more accurately reflect the pronunciation of a loanword 
• The duplication of the final consonant
• The addition of i to the end of a word

The last change is extremely common. It applies, for example, to ‘-isms’ borrowed from English, including kapitalismi (“capitalism”).

Can you tell what changes these loanwords went through?

• Elektroni (“Electron”)
• Taksi (“Taxi”)
• Brändi (“Brand”)
• Trendi (“Trend”)
• Viski (“Whisky”)
• Pekoni (“Bacon”)
• Vinssi (“Winch”)
• Tiimi (“Team”)
• Greippi (“Grapefruit”)

Confusing to language learners and native Finns alike, both the original spelling and an adapted spelling of the same word may be in use. For example, take a look at these two musical genres:

•  jazz / jatsi  (“jazz”)
• country / kantri (“country”)

Loanwords can also exist simultaneously with endemic Finnish words:

• läppäri / kannettava (“laptop”)
• printteri / tulostin (“printer”)

The English word “team” has evolved into tiimi in Finnish.

Calques

Our final category of English loanwords in Finnish is one that causes zero problems with pronunciation, spelling, or inflection: käännöslainat (“calques,” or literally “translation loans”). These are word-for-word translations of English compound words or word pairs.

• Jalkapallo (“Football”)
• Sähköposti (“Electronic mail”)
• Kotisivu (“Homepage”)
• Maksumuuri (“Paywall”)
• Musta aukko (“Black hole”)
• Sohvaperuna (“Couch potato”)
• Emolevy (“Motherboard”)
• Baarikärpänen (“Bar fly”)
• Lasikatto (“Glass ceiling”)
• Haamukirjoittaja (“Ghost writer”)
• Hyvinvointivaltio (“Welfare state”)
• Luottokortti (“Credit card”)

Idioms hop from English to Finnish as translation loans, as well:

• Kieli poskessa (“Tongue in cheek”)

The word luottokortti (“credit card”) is a translation loan.

3. More About Finglish

As promised, here’s some detailed information on Finglish for you! 

North American Finglish

The word ‘Finglish’ was originally coined in the 1920s by Professor Martti Nisonen. He was referring to the mixture of Finnish and English spoken by Finnish immigrants in the United States and Canada. The Finnish term for it is amerikansuomi (“North American Finnish”). Examples of Finglish used by American Finns include:

• leeki (from ‘lake’)
• milkki (from ‘milk’)
• tätsrait (from ‘that’s right’)
• haussi (from ‘house’)
• äpyli (from ‘apple’) 

New Finglish

In Finland today, the term ‘Finglish’ refers to the end result of native Finnish speakers using excessive English terms and expressions. Finglish is strongly associated with young people, though IT professionals and business people have also gained a reputation for relying a little too heavily on English terminology.

Finglish absorbs new English vocabulary and expressions, particularly from TV, cinema, music, social media, and various subcultures.

Characteristics of Finglish include a liberal use of English words as they are (like “anyway,” “basically,” and “about”) and a frequent adaptation of new English words. These adapted words differ from regular English loanwords in the sense that they sound like slang—although the line between the two can become rather blurred!

Here are a few terms that are considered Finglish (the first word) with their equivalent Finnish terms (the second word) for comparison: 

• Biitsi / Hiekkaranta (“Beach”)
• Kreisi / Hullu (“Crazy”)
• Keissi / Tapaus (“Case”)
• Bugi / Ohjelmointivirhe (“Bug” – in IT)

There are also new verbs derived from English that follow Finnish conjugation rules:

• Skipata (“To skip”)
• Klikata (“To click”)
• Tsekata (“To check”)

Many IT-related words like Ethernet have been borrowed from English.

4. When Finnish and English Clash

Now you know what Finglish and loanwords look like in Finnish, but how do they affect the language and those who speak it? Take a look. 

How Do Finns Feel About English Loanwords?

Unlike countries such as Iceland and France, Finland has no official rules to regulate the introduction of new loanwords. However, Kielitoimisto does provide guidance and recommendations on how to use them.

While many Finns embrace English loans, many others are deeply skeptical. In one survey, the participants were almost evenly divided on the matter. The narrow majority of respondents felt that loanwords enrich the Finnish language and are often necessary. For example, they would welcome loanwords if a Finnish alternative didn’t exist or was clumsy compared to a loanword. 

Those who felt uneasy about the introduction of English loanwords felt that there were already too many and that they can be very difficult to spell and pronounce. The latter group expressed a desire for active efforts to coin new Finnish terms to replace loanwords.

When English Loanwords Meet Finnish Grammar

Inflecting (non-integrated) English loanwords according to Finnish grammar rules can feel like forcing a square peg into a round hole—the two are often not compatible. A lot of the trouble and confusion stems from the fact that Finnish pronunciation is very different from English pronunciation. This creates a dilemma: should Finnish grammar rules like vowel harmony be applied according to a word’s spelling or according to its pronunciation? Should consonant gradation apply to loanwords at all?

There’s usually no perfect solution, and the best course of action may be to tweak sentences to avoid inflecting loanwords in the first place. When this isn’t possible, Finns may have to make a choice between an option that ‘looks wrong’ and one that ‘sounds wrong.’

This is probably the greatest driver behind the adaptation of loanwords in Finnish. When a loanword is tweaked into a more Finnish-friendly form, it becomes far easier to inflect with confidence.

A man with a puzzled look on his face.

5. Finnish Loanwords in English

By now, you may be wondering if there are any Finnish words in the English language. The short answer is: not many! It’s been mostly a one-way street between Finnish and English as far as loanwords are concerned.

The most famous Finnish loanword in English is sauna. The other loans are decidedly more niche, such as rapakivi (a type of granite rock) and palsa (a permanently frozen peat mound).

Finnish sauna.

Lopuksi

In this guide, we’ve discussed various types of English loanwords that are used in Finland, Finns’ attitudes toward them, and the grammar problems they sometimes cause. We’ve also looked at the strange hybrid language known as Finglish, and how it differs from the use of established English loanwords.

We’ve listed some of the most common English words used in the Finnish language, but naturally, there are a lot more out there. Do you know of any that we didn’t mention in this article? Feel free to share them by leaving a comment below!

Keep your eyes peeled for more familiar words on our Finnish vocabulary lists on FinnishPod101.com, or head over to our free resources for an overview of Finnish pronunciation, grammar tutorials, and much more.

Are you thinking of visiting Finland? Or have you heard about Finland in the news recently and wanted to know more about the country? Whatever brought you here, know that we’ll do our best to satisfy your curiosity about the Finnish culture!

Geographically, Finland lies between Scandinavia and Russia. While the country has been culturally influenced by its neighbors on either side, it has a very distinctive cultural identity of its own with many interesting quirks and unique traditions.

Read on to learn more about Finland’s culture and traditions, from Finnish values and attitudes to popular sports, foods, and holidays. Trust us, there’s much more to Finnish culture than the sauna!

Table of Contents

1. Finnish Character and Values
2. Religion in Finland
3. Sports and Recreation
4. Finnish Art and Entertainment
5. Finnish Food and Drink
6. Holidays and Celebrations
7. Lopuksi

1. Finnish Character and Values

To really understand the culture of Finland, you must first begin to understand the core values of Finnish society. Here are a few key points on the character and values of Finns!

A- Finnish Stereotype vs. The Reality

Finns have a reputation for being quiet and reserved, or even taciturn and unapproachable. Finns themselves may perpetuate this stereotype by telling self-deprecating jokes about their social awkwardness—a good example of this is the popular comic Finnish Nightmares created by the artist Karoliina Korhonen.

But is Finland really a country full of shy and withdrawn introverts? While there’s probably a grain of truth in every stereotype—in general, Finns do value their personal space and prefer meaningful conversations over idle chit chat—you’ll find that once you get to know them, Finnish people are usually very warm and open. Many have a charmingly dry sense of humor, and very talkative, highly extroverted Finns do exist!

A smiling little girl hides under her hat.

B- Finnish Core Values 

The fairly liberal Finnish culture values freedom of speech, individualism, and tolerance. Finns believe in fairness and equal opportunities, especially when it comes to gender and women’s rights. Recently, Finland has attracted a lot of attention internationally for being led by an all-female coalition government.

Finns generally trust the authorities and they tend to be very honest and law-abiding. This is for a good reason: corruption is very low in Finland. The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks Finland as the third most transparent country in the world after Denmark and New Zealand.

In Finland, everyone has access to a free, world-class education, and the country was ranked the world’s most literate nation in 2016. Reading for pleasure as well as keeping up with the news are important to many Finns.

Finally, Finnish people have a very close connection to nature, and spending time outdoors is an essential aspect of living a high-quality life. There are forty national parks across the country, and conservation and environmental issues are taken seriously in Finland.

Sunlight seeps through trees in a forest.

C- Subcultures in Finland

Of course, Finland is not completely homogenous culturally. Notable subcultures with their own distinct characteristics and traditions include the Swedish-speaking Finns (suomenruotsalaiset), the Sami (saamelaiset), and the Finnish Gypsies (Suomen romanit). Head over to Wikipedia to learn more about these subcultures.

2. Religion in Finland

Before Christianity spread to Finland in the eleventh century, the country’s primary religion was Finnish paganism, which involved things like song magic and the worship of a variety of deities, including Ukko, the god of thunder.

The majority of Finnish people today consider themselves Christian, with roughly 69% of the population belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. The Orthodox Church of Finland is the second-largest religious community in the country (a little over 1% of the population are members), while around 29% of Finns don’t consider themselves affiliated with any particular religion.

According to the Finnish Constitution, the Church and the State are separate entities, and Finns are free to practice any religion (or none). However, the Lutheran Church and the Finnish Orthodox Church enjoy certain privileges in the country, including the right to tax their members.

Typically, Finnish people are fairly secular in their views and religion does not play a major role in everyday life. Most Lutherans attend church only on special occasions (such as for weddings and funerals) or on major Christian holidays (such as Easter and Christmas).

A couple on their wedding day.

3. Sports and Recreation

Every culture has its favorite sports and preferred recreational activities. So how do sports and recreation come into play in Finnish culture and traditions?

A- Popular Sports in Finland

Both participating in and watching sports are popular pastimes in Finland. The national game is called pesäpallo (“Finnish baseball”), and the sports that get the most media coverage include jääkiekko (“ice hockey”), jalkapallo (“football”), and Formula 1 (“Formula One”).

Professionally, Finns have often excelled in winter sports, which isn’t surprising considering the long winters in Finland! Matti Nykänen was arguably the best ski jumper to have ever competed, and Finland’s national ice hockey team is among the best in the world, having won their third world championship title in 2019.

Finland is also the home of some very unique sports, including eukonkanto (“wife-carrying”) which originated in Sonkajärvi, and suopotkupallo (“swamp football”) which was initially an exercise activity for athletes and soldiers.  

• Listen to our audio lesson to learn more about popular sports in Finland.

B- Recreational Activities

Finns enjoy many outdoor activities in their free time. Some typical hobbies include cross-country skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, Nordic walking, camping, and foraging for wild berries and mushrooms. Wild swimming is very popular in summer, but the most enthusiastic wild swimmers continue their hobby even during the coldest months of the year by creating a hole in the ice and going for a dip in the icy water!

Many Finns also enjoy relaxing activities, such as reading, cooking, playing music, and various arts and crafts from photography to knitting.

Wild swimming in winter.

• Head over to our audio library to learn how to talk about hobbies in Finnish.

4. Finnish Art and Entertainment

As can be said of many cultures, the culture in Finland is largely represented through its variety of artwork and entertainment mediums.

The most representative Finnish visual art style is known as Romantic Nationalism. The Kalevala-inspired paintings of Akseli Gallen-Kallela are among the most famous examples of this style. Tom of Finland (Touko Laaksonen) is possibly the most recognized Finnish artist internationally—his once-controversial drawings of gay men are today seen as symbols of open-mindedness and tolerance.

There is a distinct design tradition in Finland. Some of the most notable names in Finnish design include Alvar Aalto, Marimekko, and Iittala. Finnish architecture is particularly known for its extensive use of wood as material.

The most famous writers from the early days of Finnish literature include the novelist Aleksis Kivi and the poet Eino Leino. After Finland gained independence, modernist writers such as Mika Waltari and Frans Eemil Sillanpää (the only Finnish recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature to date) rose to fame, while the Second World War inspired the best-selling novel Tuntematon sotilas (“The Unknown Soldier”) by Väinö Linna. Tove Jansson’s Moomin stories are among the most beloved Finnish children’s books of all time.

While Hollywood films are very popular in Finland, Finnish cinema is alive and well. Known for his extremely minimalistic style, Aki Kaurismäki is the best-known Finnish film director outside of his home country. His award-winning works include The Man Without a Past and Le Havre.

Many different styles of home-grown music are popular in Finland, including folk, rock, hip hop, dance, and pop. Internationally, Finland is perhaps best known for the classical composer Jean Sibelius as well as the prominent heavy metal music scene. The gothic rock band HIM is among the most commercially successful Finnish groups of all time and the first one to have received a gold record in the States.

Video and mobile games are considered a valued part of Finnish culture, with over twenty educational institutions providing instruction in game design. Some of the most acclaimed games developed by Finnish studios include the hit titles Max Payne, Angry Birds, and Clash of Clans.

Sculpture of composer Jean Sibelius.

5. Finnish Food and Drink

A flavorful window into Finnish culture, food here is hearty, simple, and prepared with fresh ingredients. Meat, fish, dairy products, potatoes, and whole grains feature heavily in the Finnish diet. Wild mushrooms and berries are also commonly used when in season.

A- Top 5 Finnish Dishes

 Are you curious about traditional Finnish food? Here are five delicious dishes to try:

1. Lohikeitto (“Salmon soup”)
   
   This comforting soup with potatoes, cream, and fresh dill is one of the best ways to enjoy salmon.

2. Poronkäristys (“Sautéed reindeer”)
   
   Prepared with thinly sliced reindeer meat seasoned with salt and pepper, this is a must-try traditional dish from the Finnish Lapland.

3. Karjalanpaisti (“Karelian hot pot”)
   
   Another dish proving that simple doesn’t mean bland! Meat, onion, and root vegetables are flavored with peppercorns and cooked for several hours in the oven.

4. Kaalilaatikko (“Cabbage casserole”)
   
   To prepare this dish, a mixture of cabbage, meat, and rice (or barley) is baked in the oven until perfectly tender.

5. Kalakukko (“Fish pie”)
   
   This traditional Savonian dish is prepared by baking fish (usually vendace or European perch) and pork wrapped inside a thin rye crust.

Finnish salmon soup.

B- Popular Products in Finland

If you get a chance to visit Finland, you’ll very quickly notice that certain food products are ubiquitous. The undisputed number-one bread in Finland is rye bread, Finnish cinnamon rolls can be found in almost every café, and a type of salty liquorice known as salmiakki (“salmiac liquorice”) is by far the most popular kind of sweet in the country.

What about drinks? Finns drink *a lot* of coffee—in fact, Finnish people consume more coffee per capita than any other nation! In addition to the strong Finnish coffee culture, Finns also have a reputation for being heavy drinkers. The level of alcohol consumption here is not that far off from the European average, but instead of having a drink with their meals, Finns tend to do most of their drinking on the weekends! Spirits, beer, and cider are some of the most popular alcoholic drinks in the country.

A cup of coffee.

• Feeling hungry? Learn new Finnish words by visiting our vocabulary lists for the Top 10 Healthy Foods and the Top 10 Unhealthy Foods!

6. Holidays and Celebrations 

There are several traditions of Finland directly associated with the major holidays and celebrations. Take a look!

A- Finnish Holidays

Both Christian and non-Christian holidays are celebrated in Finland. These are among the most important holidays in Finland:

1. Vappu (“May Day”) – May 1
   
   Vappu has its origins in ancient spring festivities, but today it’s celebrated most prominently by students. They gather in parks for a picnic after a night of hard partying, donning colorful overalls and a white graduation cap known as ylioppilaslakki. Balloons, serpentine throws, party-poppers, and sweet treats are also a part of the festivities.

2. Juhannus (“Midsummer”) – June
   
   Juhannus takes place at the height of summer when the nights are at their lightest in Finland. Celebrations typically involve spending time with family and friends at a summer cottage, a sauna, barbecues, and bonfires. Midsummer open-air music festivals are also popular.

3. Itsenäisyyspäivä (“Independence Day”) – December 6
   
   Traditional Finnish Independence Day activities include lighting candles at home, student torch cavalcades, and watching the Presidential Independence Day reception on TV.

4. Joulu (“Christmas”) – December 24
   
   Christmas is one of the most anticipated holidays of the year in Finland. The main Finnish Christmas celebration takes place on Christmas Eve. The sauna, Christmas dinner, and presents are essential parts of the celebration. Joulupukki (“Santa Claus”) himself may visit families with young children in person.

Joulupukki (“Santa Claus”)

B- Other Celebrations

Liputuspäivä (“flag day”)

In Finland, there are also a number of flag days. Some are official flag days during which, according to law, the national flag must be flown from public buildings. An example of such a day is äitienpäivä (“Mother’s Day”). There are also a number of other days during which flying the flag is recommended, such as on March 19 (which is the birthday of the author Minna Canth) and tasa-arvon päivä (“Day of Equality”). 

Nimipäivä (“name day”)

Finns celebrate not only birthdays, but also name days. Each day of the year in the Finnish calendar (except New Year’s Day, Christmas Day, and February 29) has a name, or several names, assigned to it. A typical way to celebrate one’s name day is with a cup of coffee and a sweet treat.

• Are you interested in learning more about Finnish celebrations? Check out our guide to Finnish holidays and head over to our Culture Class lessons for fun audio lessons.

7. Lopuksi

In this guide, you’ve learned a lot about the Finnish culture. We’ve discussed Finnish characteristics, popular sports and hobbies, arts, and food. Did anything here surprise you or make you want to know more?

Even this guide is only scratching the surface though—there is simply too much to discover about Finland and the Finnish people to fit it all onto one page! If you’re hungry for more, one of the best and most exciting ways to immerse yourself in Finnish culture is to learn the language.

Whether you already speak some Finnish or are thinking about making the leap, FinnishPod101 offers a lot of free resources that can help you conquer Finnish grammar and pick up new vocabulary fast. Our Finnish vocabulary lists, for example, come with handy recordings to make it easy for you to perfect your pronunciation.

We look forward to seeing you around!

Finnish cuisine may not be the most popular, but there’s much to be said about the hearty, simple foods that Finns favor. Fresh seasonal ingredients, fish, meat, potatoes, dairy, and whole grains feature heavily in the Finnish diet, as do wild berries and mushrooms when they’re available. For the more adventurous, there are plenty of unusual Finnish foods to sample, too!

In this article, we’ll take a look at some must-try Finnish dishes and delicacies, and go over key vocabulary for talking about Finnish food.

Table of Contents

1. Must-Try Finnish Dishes
2. Unusual Finnish Food Products
3. Food Vocabulary
4. Lopuksi

Uunilohi (“Baked salmon”)

1. Must-Try Finnish Dishes

If you haven’t tried Finnish food yet, here are five traditional dishes to start with. Watch for them when visiting Finland—or try cooking them at home!

1 – Lohikeitto (Salmon Soup)

When a country is nicknamed “the land of a thousand lakes” (in fact, there are roughly 188,000 lakes in Finland!) and has a coastline, it’s no surprise that fish features heavily in the local cuisine. Salmon is considered a special treat, and lohikeitto (“salmon soup”) is a traditional way to enjoy it. Cooked with potatoes, cream, and fresh dill, this soup makes for a hearty and comforting meal. If you’re a fan of salmon, keep your eyes peeled for savulohi (“smoked salmon”) and graavilohi (“gravlax”), too.

• Lohikeitto recipe

Lohikeitto (“Salmon soup”)

2 – Karjalanpaisti (Karelian Hot Pot)

Here’s a dish that will stick to your ribs! Karjalanpaisti (“Karelian hot pot”) is a traditional meat stew from Karelia that takes a long time to cook (ideally several hours), but the result is worth waiting for. Very simple but highly enjoyable, this stew is typically prepared with beef, pork, onions, and root vegetables, and seasoned with peppercorns.

• Karjalanpaisti recipe

Karjalanpaisti (“Karelian hot pot”)

3 – Kalakukko (Fish Pie)

Somewhat confusingly, kalakukko literally means “fish rooster,” though no birds of any sort are involved in the preparation of this traditional Savonian dish! It’s possible that the moniker is derived from the word kukkaro (“purse”) rather than kukko (“rooster”). 

To make kalakukko, rye flour dough is stuffed with either muikku (“vendace”) or ahven (“European perch”) and pork, and then baked for several hours. To make your meal even more authentic, be sure to enjoy it with a glass of piimä (“buttermilk”).

• Kalakukko recipe

Kalakukko (“Fish pie”) (Photo by Rst2000, under CC BY-SA 3.0)

4 – Poronkäristys (Sautéed Reindeer)

Fancy sampling some traditional fare from the Finnish Lapland? Then you need to try poronkäristys (“sautéed reindeer”), a no-frills dish of thinly sliced reindeer meat seasoned with salt and pepper. For the complete experience, serve the dish with mashed potatoes and lingonberries.

• Poronkäristys recipe

Poronkäristys (“Sautéed reindeer”)

5 – Kaalilaatikko (Cabbage Casserole)

We can’t talk about traditional Finnish foods without mentioning casseroles. 

Finns are very fond of hearty oven-baked casseroles, and kaalilaatikko (“cabbage casserole”) is a perfect example. Cabbage is combined with rice (or pearl barley) and ground meat, sweetened slightly with syrup or molasses, and finally baked to tender perfection and served with lingonberries.

Other casserole dishes that are very popular in Finland include makaronilaatikko (“macaroni casserole”), perunalaatikko (“potato casserole”), lanttulaatikko (“rutabaga casserole” or “Swede casserole”), and porkkanalaatikko (“carrot casserole”), to mention but a few!

• Kaalilaatikko recipe

Kaalilaatikko (“Cabbage casserole”)

• Check out our free vocabulary list on FinnishPod101.com to learn how to pronounce the names of all your favorite Finnish foods!

2. Unusual Finnish Food Products

There are many wonderful Finnish flavors to discover besides the traditional recipes mentioned above. Next, we’ll be exploring some unique food products you can find in Finland. But be warned: some of them are not for the faint of heart!

1 – Salmiakki (Salmiac Liquorice)

‘Salty’ is not a quality that most people look for in their sweets, but in Finland salmiakki (a type of salty liquorice flavored with sal ammoniac) is extremely popular. In fact, Finns young and old love the stuff so much that it’s more or less considered a part of the Finnish national identity. Salmiakki is available in a vast number of different shapes and is also used to flavor other products, including chewing gum, ice cream, chocolate, biscuits, and alcoholic beverages.

And if you’ve already tried salmiakki and are ready for something even stranger, look for sweets and other products flavored with terva (“tar”)!

Salmiakki (“Salmiac liquorice”) (Photo by Tiia Monto, under CC BY-SA 4.0)

2 – Ruisleipä (Rye Bread)

Many different types of bread are eaten in Finland, but none are nearly as popular as ruisleipä (“rye bread”). Alongside salmiakki, proper rye bread is what Finns living abroad are most likely to miss from home.

Finnish rye bread is dark and sour and not to be mistaken for the sweeter, moister German-style rye bread. It’s available in many shapes and textures, such as the rounded limppu (“loaf”), flat reikäleipä (literally “hole bread”), rectangular ruispalat (literally “rye pieces”), and crunchy näkkileipä (“crispbread”).

Different types of Finnish rye bread (Photo by Hellahulla, under CC BY-SA 3.0).

3 – Karjalanpiirakka (Karelian Pasty)

Karjalanpiirakka (“Karelian pasty”) is a distinctly shaped savory pie from the region of Karelia. A typical Karelian pasty today consists of a rye crust filled with rice, though you may also come across versions filled with potato, barley, or millet, for example. The traditional accompaniment to karjalanpiirakka is munavoi (“egg butter”), which is exactly what it sounds like: boiled egg mixed with butter.

Karjalanpiirakka (“Karelian pasty”)

4 – Korvapuusti (Cinnamon Roll)

Here’s another linguistic—and culinary—delight. Korvapuusti is a popular variety of a sweet cinnamon roll filled with spiced butter, but the word can also be translated as “an ear slap.” So if someone offers you one, make sure it’s baked goods they’re talking about!

So what sets korvapuusti apart from other types of cinnamon rolls eaten in Finland and further afield? It’s the peculiar shape that is achieved by cutting diagonally through the rolled-up dough and pressing down the middle of each piece. If you fancy trying one in Finland, you’ll find them in pretty much every café. Or you can try making them at home:

• Korvapuusti recipe

Korvapuusti (“Cinnamon roll”) (Photo by Neurovelho, under CC BY-SA 3.0)

5 – Leipäjuusto (Bread Cheese)

Leipäjuusto (“bread cheese”) is a mild-flavored cheese made from cow’s milk. It looks like a rounded flat disk with black spots and is sometimes also called narskujuusto (“squeaky cheese”) due to its texture. There are many ways to enjoy bread cheese. For example, fried and topped with cloudberries or dunked in coffee!

Leipäjuusto (“Bread cheese”) (Photo by Teemu Rajala, under CC BY-SA 3.0)

6 – Viili (Finnish Curd Milk)

Viili (“curd milk”) is a thick, viscous type of yogurt cultured with lactic acid bacteria. A mold called Geotrichum candidum grows on it too, giving the product a velvety surface. Viili has a very fresh and pleasant taste, and it makes for a great breakfast when sprinkled with some fresh fruit or berries—that is, if you can get over the slimy texture!

7 – Vispipuuro (Whipped Porridge) 

Vispipuuro (“whipped porridge”) is a light Finnish berry dessert made from wheat semolina and lingonberries  (though other berries can be used) which give it its pink color. The porridge is whipped vigorously to create an airy texture. It’s typically eaten cold with a splash of milk.

Vispipuuro (“Whipped porridge”) (Photo by Minanla, under CC BY-SA 4.0)

8 – Mämmi (Finnish Rye Pudding)

Mämmi is a traditional Finnish Easter dessert made from rye flour and eaten chilled. It’s sweetened either naturally through a very slow cooking process, or—as is often the case with commercially produced mämmi—with dark molasses. Famously, mämmi is a bit like Marmite: you either love it or hate it, and you’ll find Finns in both camps!

Mämmi, a Finnish Easter dessert.

3. Food Vocabulary

Now that you’re good and hungry for some traditional Finnish cuisine, it’s time to go over key Finnish food vocabulary!

1 – Talking About Food

• Minulla on nälkä. (“I’m hungry.”)
• Olen kylläinen. (“I’m full.”)
  
  
• Pidän juustosta. (“I like cheese.”)
• En pidä sienistä. (“I don’t like mushrooms.”)

• En syö punaista lihaa. (“I don’t eat red meat.”)
• Olen allerginen pähkinöille. (“I’m allergic to nuts.”)

• Lempiruokani on lohikeitto. (“My favorite dish is salmon soup.”)

2 – All About Cooking

Basic Ingredients

• Suola (“Salt”)
• Pippuri (“Pepper”)
• Sokeri (“Sugar”)
• Vesi (“Water”)
• Maito (“Milk”)
• Öljy (“Oil”)
• (Kanan)muna (“Egg”)
• Jauho (“Flour”)
• Hedelmä (“Fruit”)
• Marja (“Berry”)
• Vihannes (“Vegetable”)
• Liha (“Meat”)
• Kala (“Fish”)
• Sieni (“Mushroom”)
• Pähkinä (“Nut”)

Mushrooms and vegetables.

Find more Finnish words related to ingredients on our free fruits and vegetables vocabulary list!

Utensils

• Kattila (“Saucepan”)
• Paistinpannu (“Frying pan”)
• Uuni (“An oven”)
• Veitsi (“A knife”)
• Leikkuulauta (“A cutting board”)

 To learn the Finnish words for cutlery and more, turn to our food utensils and tableware vocabulary list.

Cooking verbs

• Laittaa ruokaa (“To cook”)
• Keittää (“To boil”)
• Hauduttaa (“To stew”)
• Paistaa (“To fry”)
• Uppopaistaa (“To deep-fry”)
• Paloitella (“To cut into pieces”)
• Viipaloida (“To slice”)
• Kuoria (“To peel”)
• Raastaa (“To grate”)

Turn to our list of cooking words to further expand your Finnish vocabulary.

3 – Ordering in a Restaurant

• Ruokalista (“The menu”)
• Pöytä kahdelle. (“A table for two.”)
  
  
• Alkupala (“A starter”)
• Pääruoka (“A main course”)
• Jälkiruoka (“A dessert”)

• Tarjoilija (“Waiter”)
• Lasku (“The bill”)
• Tippi (“Tip”)

Learn how to pronounce jälkiruoka and other Finnish restaurant vocabulary and phrases on FinnishPod101.com.

4. Lopuksi

In this guide, we explored the world of Finnish flavors, from traditional recipes to unusual delicacies. We also covered some essential food-related vocabulary. 

Have you already tried any of the dishes on our list? Have you had a chance to talk about food with a Finn? Let us know how you got on in the comments below!

Visit FinnishPod101.com for more vocabulary lists with audio recordings and other free resources, or sign up for a Premium PLUS account for effective one-on-one learning and personalized learning content.

Until next time, happy eating!