Learn about the meaning and usage of noni in Finnish
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| Michael: What does noni mean in Finnish? |
| Anni: And how is it used? |
| Michael: At FinnishPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Mark Lee is trying to figure out how to use a social media platform for the first time. He doesn't feel confident with it though, gets a bit frustrated, and decides to ask a family friend, Anne Alanen, for help. |
| "Well then, could you help me with this?" |
| Mark Lee: No niin, voisitko auttaa minua tämän kanssa? |
| Dialogue |
| Mark Lee: No niin, voisitko auttaa minua tämän kanssa? |
| Anne Alanen: Hyvä on, odota sekunti. |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Mark Lee: No niin, voisitko auttaa minua tämän kanssa? |
| Michael: "Well then, could you help me with this?" |
| Anne Alanen: Hyvä on, odota sekunti. |
| Michael: "Alright, give me a second." |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Michael: There are many things that make a specific language unique. As for Finnish, what makes it different from other languages is that it’s full of expressions that outline the Finnish mindset and culture. One of these expressions is |
| Anni: No niin. |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: Let’s take a closer look at the dialogue to understand what this expression truly conveys. |
| Do you remember how Mark Lee says, "Well then, could you help me with this?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Päivi as Mark Lee: No niin, voisitko auttaa minua tämän kanssa? |
| Michael: Here, we encounter one of the most useful expressions in Finnish, which is |
| Anni: No niin, |
| Michael: also abbreviated in the spoken language as |
| Anni: Noni |
| Michael: What makes this expression unique is that it highlights the dynamic of the Finnish language where less is more. In this expression, we have two words making up an expression with more than a dozen meanings. First, let’s survey each word starting with |
| Anni: No |
| Michael: This is an interjection that’s equivalent to “Well!” such as when you say, |
| Anni: No sepä mukavaa! |
| Michael: or “Well, that’s nice.” And then, we have the word |
| Anni: niin |
| Michael: an adverb that could mean several things. As part of the expression in question, it could mean “yeah” or “right.” In our dialogue, the expression was used to mean “Well then.” |
| [Summary] |
| Michael: So far, we have taken a look at the expression, |
| Anni: No niin |
| Michael: and learned that it could mean several things. One of its uses as shown in our dialogue is when you want to say, “Well then.” |
| Expansion/Contrast |
| Michael: Depending on the situation, the expression we’ve just covered could mean several things. For instance, it could be used as an introductory expression when you’re trying to be sarcastic, such as when you say, |
| Anni: Noni, menit sitten tekemään sen. Hyvää työtä! |
| Michael: or “Well now, so you went and did it. Good job!” Here, the emphasis is on the first syllable of the word. It could also mean “Didn’t I tell you so,” such as when you scold someone for not listening to you the first time. In this case, the emphasis is on the second syllable. Other times, people use it to say, “Anyway,” like when saying, |
| Anni: Noni, minun on nyt kerättävä ajatukseni. |
| Michael: “Anyway, I need to collect my thoughts now.” When someone is disappointed about someone or something, they also use this expression. Instead of saying, |
| Anni: Olen pettynyt sinuun! |
| Michael: or, “I’m disappointed in you,” they can simply say |
| Anni: Nonni |
| Michael: without any emphasis on either syllable whatsoever. Sometimes, the speaker would pause between the two words and say, |
| Anni: No...nii |
| Michael: When this is the case, what the speaker is trying to say is, “Hold on a minute. I’m trying to figure out what to say next,” or they are conveying that they are confused. Whenever you want to say something like, “Ahh, it’s finally working,” or something succeeded—like Finland getting a goal in a world championship ice hockey match—what you can do is prolong the second syllable, but without a pause in the middle. |
| Anni: Noniiiii |
| Michael: Finally, when you want to express complete disappointment, you can prolong the “n” sound, such as when you want to say, “Arghh! What have you done?” |
| Anni: Nonnnnnni |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion |
| Michael: The expression, |
| Anni: no niin or noni |
| Michael: is very famous for being able to express almost anything you might want to say in Finnish, just as evidenced by our previous examples. It all depends on the context and the tone of your voice. You can express something as short as “OK,” as in |
| Anni: No niin, ajattelen erästä numeroa… |
| Michael: “OK, I’m thinking of a number…” or something as elaborate as, “I would love it if you would help me clean the house, darling!” |
| Anni: No niin! |
| Michael: There are dozens of other expressions similar to it, but they deserve their own separate lessons, of course. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Anni: Hei hei! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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