Dialogue

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Lesson Transcript

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 33 - May I Take Your Picture? in Finnish
Reeta: How many times have you been on a trip with your camera, trying to immortalize particular moments? In Finland, it can happen so often that not only a landscape can arouse your curiosity, but also many people! I know you don't want to jeopardize your marvelous album in Finland. That's why in this lesson, we will cover some phrases related to the one we saw in the previous lesson, "Can you take my picture?": Voisitteko ottaa kuvan minusta?
Now, you would like to ask for permission: "Can I take your picture?" In Finnish, this is: Voisinko ottaa kuvan teistä? Let’s break it down, Voisinko ottaa kuvan teistä. Once more, Voisinko ottaa kuvan teistä. The first word, Voisinko, means "Could I?" Next comes ottaa, which in Finnish means "take." Kuva means picture, and it is in the accusative form, so the -n suffix is added: kuvan. At the end we have the word teistä, meaning "of you" (in plural or polite form). Voisinko ottaa kuvan teistä? Literally, this means, "Can I take a picture of you?"
If you want to sound less formal, you can say Voinko ottaa kuvan sinusta? "Can I take your picture?"
In this sentence, we changed the endings a bit, and also lost the word for "Could I?" This way, the whole phrase sounds a little less formal. You can use this one with young people or children.
What if you are in a museum, an art gallery, or a shop and you want to ask: "Can I take a picture here?" In Finnish, this is: Voiko täällä valokuvata? Let’s break it down, Voiko täällä valokuvata.
The first word, voiko, which we learned in a previous lesson, means "Is it allowed?" It is followed by täällä ("here"), which we know very well by now. Then you have valokuvata ("to take a photo" in the infinitive). Voiko täällä valokuvata?
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.
“Can I take your picture? (formal)” - Voisinko ottaa kuvan teistä?
“Can I take your picture? (informal)” - Voinko ottaa kuvan sinusta?
“Can I take a picture here?” -Voiko täällä valokuvata?
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!

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