Learn how to take a taxi
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| Jessi: Hello, and welcome to Finnish Survival Phrases, brought to you by FinnishPod101.com. This course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Finland. You'll be surprised at how far a little Finnish will go. Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by FinnishPod101.com and there you'll find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment! |
| Finnish Survival Phrases lesson 28 - Taking a Taxi in Finland |
| Reeta: In this lesson, we'll cover a phrase we use to get you to your destination when riding in a taxi. We'll look at the most basic way to express this. To do this, we'll use Kauppatori, which is a "central market place in Helsinki." Let's go over what to say to the taxi driver to get there. |
| In Finnish, "To Kauppatori, please" is Kauppatorille, kiitos. Let’s break it down, Kauppatorille, kiitos. Once more, Kauppatorille, kiitos. The word for "to" in Finnish is attached to the end of the noun, -lle. |
| This is the most basic way of expressing where you would like to go and actually even the easiest one. However, speaking the local language is one of the most fun things you can do in your travels. So challenge yourself by using a different option! |
| You can also say, "I would like to go to Kauppatori," which in Finnish is Haluaisin mennä Kauppatorille. Let’s break it down, Haluaisin mennä Kauppatorille. |
| Let's look at the components. The first word, haluaisin means, "I would like." Haluaisin. This is followed by mennä ("to go"), and finally with the place where you want to go, so in this case, Kauppatorille. All together, we have Haluaisin mennä Kauppatorille. |
| One more helpful phrase when taking a taxi is, "Here is fine." (Tässä on hyvä.) This phrase will allow you to get out of the taxi whenever and wherever you want. Tässä is, as we know, "here," in Finnish. Note that there is no question mark after this sentence. After this, we have on, which is, "is." The last word in the expression is hyvä, or "good." As usual, it's a good idea to add "thank you" at the end of this sentence, in Finnish: kiitos. |
| Another useful phrase you could practice when riding in a taxi is Voinko maksaa luottokortilla? This means, "Can I pay with a credit card?" Usually credit cards are accepted as well in taxis in Finland, but it is better to ask before you jump into the taxi. Voinko maksaa luottokortilla? Let’s break it down, Voinko maksaa luottokortilla? Once more, Voinko maksaa luottokortilla. |
| The first word Voinko means, "Can I," after, we have a verb maksaa, which means, "to pay," and at the end, luottokortilla ("with a credit card"). |
| Ok, to close out today's lessons, we’d like you to practice what you have just learned. I’ll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you’re responsible for shouting it out loud. You’ll have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so Onnea! which means “Good luck!” in Finnish. |
| “To Kauppatori, please.” - Kauppatorille, kiitos. |
| “I would like to go to Kauppatori.” - Haluaisin mennä Kauppatorille. |
| “Here is fine.” - Tässä on hyvä. |
| “Can I pay with a credit card? ” - Voinko maksaa luottokortilla? |
| Jessi: Alright! That's going to do it for today. Remember to stop by FinnishPod101.com and pick up the accompanying PDF. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment! |
12 Comments
HideWhat color are taxis in your country?
Hi Luca P. Gentile,
Thank you for your question.
Even, when the name of the restaurant, in this case, ravintola "Punainen Härkä" is a two-piece name, you then need to use both words of the name in the illative form in Finnish.
I hope this helps a bit
Let us know if you have any question.
Cheers,
Aarni
Team FinnishPod101.com
En tieda millasta varja taksia on, koska en tarvitse sen.
ABOUT -lle or -.n
I thought that ¨-lle¨ was used to say ¨all the way to¨
¨Sen voi sanoa vaikka näin: "Haluaisin mennä Hotelli Haagaan" tai haluaisin mennä ravintola Punaiseen Härkään¨
So why in the second expression both ¨Punaise¨ and ¨Härkä¨ have the -.n?
Hi Colleen,
Thank you for your question.
Miten sanotaan 'Haluaisin mennäa to a specific hotel or restaurant'? Do you still add an -n?
Sen voi sanoa vaikka näin: "Haluaisin mennä Hotelli Haagaan" tai haluaisin mennä ravintola Punaiseen Härkään.
So, you add ending "-an" or "-än" after the name of the hotel or the restaurant.
I hope it helps a bit.
Let us know if you have any questions.
Cheers,
Aarni
Team FinnishPod101.com
Miten sanotaan 'Haluaisin mennäa to a specific hotel or restaurant'? Do you still add an -n?
Kiitos!!
Colleen
Moi taas Päivi :smile:
Ohhh, okay, that's not too difficult :smile: Kiitos! (or Kiitti! :grin: )
Hi Corinna!
Again, a brilliant observation! Thank you! :thumbsup:
No worries, it's completely ok to feel a little bit confused, as the case endings sometimes do depend on the word, in this case, to what kind of place you are going to. Most often with cities, you use the long vowel + 'n'. For example, Helsinkiin, Ouluun, Tukholmaan, New Yorkiin, Pariisiin...
But, when you are talking about open places (places without a roof), you use the allative form, which is recognized from the '-lle' ending; For example,"torille" (to the market square), "järvelle" (to the lake), "asemalle" (to the station), "pihalle" (to the yard)...
Some location and city names in Finland include these 'open place' nouns, and with them you should also use the allative case. For example, "Saarijärvelle" (the place name is 'Saarijärvi', including the word 'järvi' which means "lake"), "Riihimäelle" (the place name is 'Riihimäki', including the word 'mäki' which means "hill"), "Viitasaarelle" (the place name is 'Viitasaari', including the word 'saari' which means "island").
Hope this helps!
Päivi
Team FinnishPod101.com
Taxi colours depend on the company here. Some are white, some are yellow, some are orange, some are cars, some are vans.
I'm a little confused on how to say "to - (place)" because in the last two lessons it was a long vowel + 'n' ("Yksi ykkösluokan lippu Ouluun") but in this one it's the "-lle" ending. How do you know which one to use? Does it depend on the type of transportation?
Hi Constance,
Hi Constance,
Thaks for your comment, and sharing the info about "zip cars"!
I will definitelly try, once I am in Chicago!:wink:
Please stay tuned since every week we have new lessons for you! And if you have any questions, feel free to ask us.
Gergő
Team Finnishpod101.com
In the US taxis are no specific color. It just depends on the company who owns the taxi and there are many, many taxis, buses, and other forms of transportation for hire. A family member told me about "zip cars" in Chicago. You preregister with the company, then reserve a car for whenever you want it. The cars are conveniently located around the downtown area. You receive an electronic entry card from that company, it opens the car door, and off you go. You can rent for one hour or one day or however long you need it to zip around Chicago running your errands. It is a convenience for those who chose not to own a car when living in the downtown area... and a huge financial savings as well.
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