Yes, no and the essentials in Finnish
The small words that carry half of every conversation, and the ones that rescue it. Play the ten Finnish words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Finnish phrases in this lesson
- KylläKÜL-lä
- Yes
- EiEI
- No
- OkeiO-kei
- Okay
- En ymmärräEN ÜM-mär-rä
- I don't understand
- Puhutko englantia?PU-hut-ko ENG-lan-ti-a
- Do you speak English?
- Voisitko toistaa?VOI-sit-ko TOIS-taa
- Can you repeat that?
- Hitaammin, kiitosHI-taam-min, KII-tos
- Slowly, please
- Mikä tämä on?MI-kä TÄ-mä ON
- What is this?
- Tarvitsen...TAR-vit-sen
- I need...
- Voitko auttaa minua?VOIT-ko AUT-taa MI-nu-a
- Can you help me?
A standard yes. Joo is also very common in conversation. Hold the double ll and keep y rounded, rather than pronouncing it like English u.
The basic negative word. Ei, kiitos means no, thank you when declining an offer. In full sentences the negative changes with the person, as in en tiedä (I do not know).
Borrowed directly from English and used widely in modern Finnish. You will hear this frequently, especially among younger speakers.
Useful when you cannot follow what someone says. You can add hitaammin, kiitos (more slowly, please). Hold the double mm and rr.
Ask this before switching languages. Puhutko addresses one person; the polite or plural version is puhutteko englantia?
Literally "more slowly, thanks".
Tarvitsen lääkärin, I need a doctor.