For those with an interest in languages, here's a simple guide to the basics of everyday modern Finnish language.
I've added phonetic prompts to help you with pronunciation, and in that spirit I would suggest taking the lesson pronouncing the words
aloud and in the correct syllabic tone rather than in your mind. Using the lips, tongue, and mouth to create the sounds you're making helps you to familiarize yourself with how Finns actually speak. This language won't work if you pronounce
de wurdz loike it's in Dubbelineze - instead you have to be conscious of the tone and formation of the words.
For me, I usually drop down an octave when speaking Finnish with males: it's more familiar to their tone.
With ladies I do the same but I speak far more softly as I know how the various emphasis and tone works when they speak.
The one good thing about the language is that it reads as it looks.
With a few small exceptions with the additional two letters in the Finnish alphabet.
Hello: 'Moi!' (Moy!)
How are you?: 'Mitä kuuluu?' (Meeta koo-loo?)
I am fine!: 'Olen hyvä!' (Oh-len hoovah!)
Thank you: 'Kiitos!' (Key-toss!)
Yes: 'Joo!' (Yoo)
No: 'ei' (Pure A sound)
Today: 'Tänään' (Tah-naan,)
Tomorrow: 'Huomenna' (Hoo-oh-menn-ah)
Work: 'Tehdä työtä' (Tay-da-two-oh-ta)
Contract: 'Sopimuksen' (Soppy-muck-sen)
Year: 'vuosi' (Voo-oh-see)
Month: 'Kuukausi' (Koo-cow-see)
Week: 'viikko' (Vee-ko)
Day: 'Päivä' (Pie-vah)
Hour: 'Tunnin' (Tun-inn)
Money: 'Raha' (Rah-hah)
Morning: 'Aamu' (Ah-moo)
Afternoon: 'Iltapäivällä' (Eel-ta-Pie-vah-lah)
Night: 'Yöllä' (Ooh-oh-La)
One beer, please: 'Yksi olut kiitos' (Uck-see oh-lut key-toss)
Please send the hard copy: 'Lähetä paperiversio' (Lah-hay-tah pappery-vee-see-oh)
Want to spend the night? 'Haluatko viettää yön?' (Ha-loo-at-ko vee-taa ooh-on?)
Goodbye and thank you very much: 'Hyvästi ja kiitos paljon' (Hoo-vasty ya key-toss pal-yon)
See you! 'Nähdään!' (
h-Dan)
Sexy! 'Seksikäs!' (Sexy-Cass!)
Cute: 'Söpö' (Sopp-po)
Him: 'Hän' (Hann) =
Her: 'Hän' (Hann) =
I want: 'Haluan' (Hal-ooh-ann)
I need: 'Tarvitsen' (Tar-vit-senn)
Fuck off: 'Vittu' (Veet-two)
Bastard: 'Paskiainen' (Pas-key-eye-nen)
Fool: 'Tyhmä' (Two-mah)
You see above how man and woman / him and her are the same? In Finnish, gender is assigned elsewhere in the sentence, you must frame the term in the gender it's set in, but hän (Hann) is also acceptable in basic Finnish.
Here's your one to ten in countdown:
Ten: 'Kymmenen' (Koo-men-enn)
Nine: 'Yhdeksän' (Ooh-deck-sann)
Eight: 'Kahdeksan' (Kah-deck-sann)
Seven: 'Seitsemän' (Szay-Tzee-mann)
Six: 'Kuusi' (Koo-see)
Five: 'Viisi' (Vee-see)
Four: 'Neljä' (Nell-Yah)
Three: 'Kolme' (Kohl-may)
Two: 'Kaksi' (Kack-see)
One: 'Yksi' (Uhk-see)
Often, people in Helsinki and other Finnish cities will use what we call '
Stadin Slangi' which is basically shortening common words for convenience sake. For example, when I count in a song playing live, I don't say the numbers as they written above (Ykis, Kaksi, Kolme, Nelja). Instead it's a type of abbreviated city slang term that shortens the word to its most basic function: so I count:
'Ooh-Kah-Ko-y' which is about half the work of saying Ykis, Kaksi, Kolme, Nelja. The first syllable is enough in Stadin Slangi.
Stadin slangi (city slang) is only ever used among the youth, you should
never use any slang terminology when speaking with people older than you. That's especially true with the very old. Always use
formal Finnish when speaking to your elders. It gets messy if you don't.
Everyone will correct you, not just the oldie you're addressing!
Most Finnish words read as they look. the letters perform the same functions in Finnish as they do in English with a few minor exceptions.
The letters:
Y is 'Oo-oh'
J is 'Yo'
W is 'Vay'
V is also 'Vay'
X is 'Axa'
Q is 'Koo'
The alphabeth in phonetics:
Ah, Bay, Say, Day, A, Affa, Gay, Hoe, Eee, Jo, Ko, Al, Amm, Ann, Oh, Pey, Koo, Arr, Ass, Tay, Ooho, Vay, Vay, Axa, Awh, Zay.
Then there's the umlauts: these can be complex but the simplest key is to turn:
Ä to 'Awhh'
Ö to 'Owwh'
Letters which use the umlaut should not be confused with the same letters that don't have the umlaut. They are completely different letters and the basic trick is the place
a longer and slower emphasis on umlauts used in common words.
I reckon that's enough to get you started. But if you have any problems or questions, just ask.
Ole Hyvää!
