Learn how to ask where somebody is
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| Hei, minun nimeni on Paula. Hi everybody! I’m Paula. |
| Welcome to FinnishPod101.com’s “Suomea kolmessa minuutissa”. The fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn Finnish. |
| In the last lesson, we were practicing how to use the verb olla while talking about nationality. This time we will be using the same verb but for a different purpose. It can also be used to tell where you are. For example, “I’m at school” or "I'm at work." |
| So when you want to know where something or someone is, you use the verb olla. |
| For example, when someone asks you on the phone Missä sinä olet? they want to know "Where are you?". |
| Let's break it down. |
| Missä means "Where". |
| I’m sure you already remember the word sinä, “you”. |
| olet is the conjugated form of olla "are” or “to be”. |
| All together, Missä sinä olet? |
| [slowly] Missä sinä olet? |
| Answering this question is as easy as the asking was. You just say Minä olen and add the place where you are. |
| Minä means “I” and |
| olen is olla conjugated minä. |
| And finally, the place where you are. For example, Minä olen kaupassa which is "I’m at the store." |
| [slowly] Minä olen kaupassa. |
| Now let’s see a few other possible answers with “I”- |
| "I’m at a restaurant" would be Minä olen ravintolassa. |
| "I’m at the gym" would be Minä olen kuntosalilla. |
| "I’m on a bus" would be Minä olen bussissa. |
| Again, the topic of the case of the noun comes up. When you are talking about your location, you add -ssa or -lla to the end of the noun. But how do you know which one to choose? The basic rule is to use -ssa when you are inside, and -lla when outside. For example, talossa would be translated as “in the house”, and talolla “at the house.” However, it can change according to the context. |
| Now it’s time for Paula’s Points. |
| Sometimes when talking about locations, you can hear the verb sijaita being used. It literally means “to be located”. So imagine being in Helsinki and wanting to find a street named Mannerheimintie. You can ask a passer-by, Anteeksi, missä Mannerheimintie sijaitsee?. It would mean, “excuse me, where is Mannerheimintie located?” |
| Now you know how to talk about locations, and a new way to use the verb olla! But that’s not all there is to it, as it happens to be a very useful verb. Want to know your Finnish friends age? You will learn all about how to ask with the help of olla in the next Suomea kolmessa minuutissa lesson. |
| Nähdään pian! |
18 Comments
HideHi listeners! Let's practice, could you tell us where you are now?
Hello Nati,
Thank you for your comment. Yes, the Finnish language uses suffixes but in English, prepositions are used. Shortly said, Missä means where, mihin means where to and mistä means from where. Hope this helps.
Let us know if you have any questions.
Cheers,
Aarni
Team FinnishPod101.com
I think it would be nice to compare the difference between words that has the meaning of "where" like "Missä, Mihin, Mistä". As I was a bit confused from the previous and this video using a different word for "where".
Hei Maged,
Liitos kommentistasi ja kysymyksestäsi. ?
Kalle on kuntosalilla.
Parhain terveisin,
Aarni
Team FinnishPod101.com
Minä olen talossa. Missä Kalle on?
Kiitos kommentista, Sveta! ?
Parhain terveisin, Best Wishes,
Päivi
Team FinnishPod101.com
Minä olen kotona nyt. Minä opiskelen suomea ja laitan ruokaa tytärelleni.
Hei Elsie!
Thank you, kiitos, for your comment!
You have your own shop, kauppa? That's so nice! Minkälainen kauppa se on? What kind of a shop is it?
Minä olen nyt Minokamossa, Japanissa. :smile:
Best Wishes, Parhain terveisin,
Päivi
Team FinnishPod101.com
Minä olen nyt St. Louisissa, miniun kaupassa.
Missä sinä olet? Suomessa?
Elsie
Kuulostaa tunnelmalliselta, Beata :smile: :heart:
Kiitos kommentista!
Päivi
Team FinnishPod101.com
Nyt minä olen Varsovassa, minun huoneessa ja joun kahvia :) Ulkona sataa vähän ja haluaisin mennä nukkuman.
(I'm now in Warsaw, in my room and drink coffee. It rains a bit outside and I would like to go sleep).