Learn how to use 'kiitos' meaning "please" in Finnish
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| 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 3 - Getting What You Want Using Finnish |
| Reeta: This phrase will help you take matters into your own hands! In this lesson, we'll take a look at the word "Please," which will be very important when you need to ask for something. |
| In Finnish, "Please" is kiitos. Let’s break it down, kiitos. Once more, kiitos. You might remember from the earlier lesson that kiitos means "thank you" as well in Finnish. |
| Let's take a closer look at kiitos. The easiest way to use this word is by pointing at something and saying, Tämä, kiitos ("This one, please"), or Tuo, kiitos ("That one, please"). |
| Please remember that in Finland it is a little rude to point at people. But pointing at things, especially when you are trying to buy something at the market or when it helps to illustrate your point, is perfectly okay. Just make sure you use kiitos ("thank you") when the object is handed to you. |
| Another translation of "please" could be the phrase ole hyvä. You might remember that this means "You're welcome," "Here you go," or "There you go" as well. We use this phrase to ask someone to do something for us and it is usually followed by a verb. Let’s break it down, ole hyvä. |
| Here's an example: Ojentaisitko sen minulle, ole hyvä ("Please hand it to me"). In this type of phrase the verb is in conditional form. Here's another example that you may hear at the airport: Avaisitko sen, ole hyvä. ("Please open it"). All of these sentences with the phrase ole hyvä are polite and formal. |
| 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. |
| “Please.” - Kiitos. |
| “Please... (followed by a verb)” - Ole hyvä. |
| “This please.” - Tämä, kiitos. |
| “That please.” - Tuo, kiitos. |
| 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! |
24 Comments
HideLet us know if you have any questions about this Survival Phrases lesson!
Hello Rui,
Thank you for your comment.
Yes, It can mean both, "thank you" and "please".
This is important to know in Finnish. Very good, Rui. 👍
Let us know if you have any questions.
Cheers,
Aarni
Team FinnishPod101.com
Now I understand the word "Kiitos" as the two meanings which one is "thank you" another one is "please".
Kiitos paljon.
Hello Jo Alex SG,
Thank you for posting!
Due to peoples personal pronunciations or recording nuances "ä" may sound just as you described but the main rule with vowel "ä" is that it is always spoken as "ae"
I hope this helps a bit.
Let us know if you have any questions.
Cheers,
Aarni
Team FinnishPod101.com
Again, I hear both the stressed "ä" and the unstressed "ä" in the word tämä as a regular a and not as a closed sound, closer to an 'e'.
Hi Jo,
Thank you for leaving the comment!
In case of any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Sincerely,
Cristiane
Team FinnishPod101.com
Paljon kiitos for one more wonderful lesson. Finnish is such a melodic, soft language!
Hi James,
Thank you for your valuable advice. ?
If you have any questions, please let us know.
Thank you.
Aarni
Team FinnishPod101.com
On a macOS computer keyboard you can press and hold the key to get alternate characters. I had the same issue as Cheryl at first.
Hi Cheryl,
Thank you for your question.
You can get Scandinavian alphabets following the guidance of this website: http://sites.psu.edu/symbolcodes/languages/europe/nordic/
If you need German umlaut or tilde, please check this site:
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Keyboard-shortcuts-for-international-characters-108fa0c1-fb8e-4aae-9db1-d60407d13c35
If you have any questions, please let us know.
Thank you.
Aarni
Team FinnishPod101.com
I'm not sure how to use the umlaut or tilde on my keyboard. so of course even though I had the right words on the quiz, without the correct punctuation, it was wrong. help?