Dialogue

Vocabulary

Learn New Words FAST with this Lesson’s Vocab Review List

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.

Or sign up using Facebook
Already a Member?

Lesson Notes

Unlock In-Depth Explanations & Exclusive Takeaways with Printable Lesson Notes

Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.

Or sign up using Facebook
Already a Member?

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 35 - Learn to Write in Finnish without Lifting a Pen
Reeta: In the previous lesson, we covered how to ask, "How do you say this in Finnish?" Miten tämä sanotaan suomeksi. Do you remember? Today, because we don't want you to be caught off guard in any kind of situation in Finland, we are going to introduce you to a new phrase that is very helpful when you want someone to write something down for you. So let's start this lesson.
In Finnish, "Can you write it down, please?" is: Voisitko kirjoittaa sen ylös? Let’s break it down, Voisitko kirjoittaa sen ylös. Once more, Voisitko kirjoittaa sen ylös. The first word, voisitko, means "Could you?" Next we have kirjoittaa, which in Finnish is "write." Sen is se ("it") in the accusative form. Last we have ylös, which literally means "up."
Next, we have another way to express the same meaning: Voitko kirjoittaa sen minulle ylös? "Can you write it down for me?' Let’s break it down, Voitko kirjoittaa sen minulle ylös. Once more, Voitko kirjoittaa sen minulle ylös. The only extra thing in this sentence is the word minulle, which means "for me." Of course, you can add kiitos at the end of this phrase to be more polite.
Once you have the written words, you may find that you have no idea how to pronounce them. In Finnish, "How do you pronounce this?" is: Miten tämä lausutaan? Let’s break it down, Miten tämä lausutaan. Once more, Miten tämä lausutaan. The first word, miten, means "how." You should all be familiar with this by now. Next we have tämä, which means "this" as we have seen before. Finally, you have lausutaan ("is pronounced").
It might happen that people are not carrying a piece of paper or a pen. So before asking: Voitko kirjoittaa sen ylös?, try asking: Onko sinulla paperia ja kynää? "Do you have paper and a pencil?" Let’s break it down, Onko sinulla paperia ja kynää. Once more, Onko sinulla paperia ja kynää. The first word, onko, means "Is there?" or "Do you have?"; we've already seen this. Then you have sinulla, which in English is "on you."
As usual, before asking about someone else's stationery supplies, it's a good idea to say "excuse me": anteeksi.
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.
“Could you write it down, please?” - Voisitko kirjoittaa sen ylös?
“Can you write it down for me, please?” - Voitko kirjoittaa sen minulle ylös?
“How do you pronounce this?” - Miten tämä lausutaan?
“Do you have paper and a pencil?” - Onko sinulla paperia ja kynää?
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!

Comments

Hide