Lesson Notes

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Grammar

The focus of this lesson is Self Introduction in Finnish

 

Topic 1: How to introduce yourself in an informal situation

 

Sentence from the lesson:

Hei, minun nimeni on Paula. Hauska tutustua.
 "Hi, I'm Paula. Nice to meet you."


  2. Start by saying: Hei, minun nimeni on...
  3. Say your name. Hei, minun nimeni on Paula.
  4. You say Hauska tutustua.





Topic 2: How to introduce yourself in a formal situation

Sentence from the lesson:

Hyvää päivää. Minun nimeni on Paula Laamanen. Hauska tutustua.
"Good day, my name is Paula Laamanen. Nice to meet you."

 

  1. Hei has been substituted with the formal greeting hyvää päivää, Finnish for "good day."
  2. Minun nimeni on Paula has not been changed; in both cases, minun nimeni on means "my name is," however, during a formal self introduction, we also say our last name, so I said Paula Laamanen. Here, you would say your full name.
  3. Finally, hauska tutustua is the same for both. This phrase means "nice to meet you."

 

Language Tip!

When you introduce yourself, it's a good habit to shake hands and use hauska tutustua after saying your name. If you're concerned about politeness, even hei is polite enough in the Finnish business world. In fact, if you speak too formally, people will think you sound unnatural. In Finland, simple is best!

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Lesson Transcript

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Welcome to FinnishPod101.com’s “Suomea kolmessa minuutissa”. The fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn Finnish.
Hei, minun nimeni on Paula. Hauska tutustua. Hi, I'm Paula. Nice to meet you.
In this series, we’re going to learn basic Finnish expressions. It’s super easy and it only takes three minutes!
In this lesson, you’re going to learn how to introduce yourself in Finnish. So let's get started!
We'll first see how Finnish people introduce themselves in an *informal* situation.
Hei, minun nimeni on Paula. Hauska tutustua. Hi, I’m Paula. Nice to meet you.
[slowly] Hei, minun nimeni on Paula. Hauska tutustua.
Let's go through this: Start by saying Hei, minun nimeni on... then, say your name. Hei, minun nimeni on Paula. Finally, say Hauska tutustua.
Hei, minun nimeni on Paula. Hauska tutustua.
And now let’s see the same sentence in formal speech.
Hyvää päivää. Minun nimeni on Paula Laamanen. Hauska tutustua. Good day, my name is Paula Laamanen. Nice to meet you.
[slowly] Hyvää päivää. Minun nimeni on Paula Laamanen. Hauska tutustua.
So, what has changed from the previous introduction?
Let’s take a close look at these together.
Hei has been substituted with the formal greeting hyvää päivää, Finnish for "good day."
Minun nimeni on Paula has not been changed. In both cases, minun nimeni on means "my name is". However, during a formal self introduction, we also say our last name, so I said Paula Laamanen. Here, you would say your full name.
Finally, hauska tutustua is the same for both. This phrase means “nice to meet you.”
One more time: The informal way to introduce yourself in Finnish is Hei, minun nimeni on Paula. Hauska tutustua.
You can make it more formal by saying
Hyvää päivää. Minun nimeni on Paula Laamanen, Hauska tutustua.
Now it’s time for Paula’s Points.
When you introduce yourself, it's a good habit to shake hands and use hauska tutustua after saying your name. If you’re concerned about politeness, even hei is polite enough in the Finnish business world.
In fact, if you speak too formally, people will think you sound unnatural. In Finland, simple is best!
That's it for this lesson! Do you know how we say “thank you” in Finnish? You’ll learn how to say this and many other words in the next Suomea kolmessa minuutissa lesson. Nähdään pian!
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