Although a bit intimidating, but Finnish language can be easily spoken if you practice for a few days.
Finland, the happiest country in the world, is visited by thousands of tourists annually. If you are also planning to visit there, you must know a little bit of the Finnish language to co-operate with Finnish people. Most words are indeed long and comparatively hard to pronounciate. For that reason, the Finnish language is different from English. Here we have compiled a list of Finnish terms or words you should know if you are visiting Finland.
How to say ‘do you know English?’
The term is: Puhutteko englantia? While visiting Finland if you need to know if there is anybody able to speak English, ask this phrase. Mostly you will get the answer as yes as most Finnish people know English.
How to request or say thank you?
Use the phrase Kiitos. You need to use this phrase frequently in Finland. It is a formal way of requesting. However, in between friends, you may speak in an informal way, which is ‘Kitti’. You must remember that Finnish people won't consider it rude if you don't use the requesting phrases. They don't follow the English notion of speaking.
How to start a conversation in the Finnish language?
Just like English, Finnish people also start by saying ‘Hi’, but the phrase is a little different here. They say ‘Hei hei’. The hello in English has a Finnish version which is ‘terve’. While leaving, they say ‘näkemiin’.
How to ask about something?
In English, people say ‘what is this?’. If you want to know about something, you must say ‘Mitä Tama’ or ‘Tuo on’. If you want to know something about any person, replace ‘Mita’ with ‘Mika’.
How to say, ‘I am not able to understand?’
When you are interacting with someone from Finland, you may face several issues like not understanding the phrases. It is an obvious problem as many people get carried away while speaking. The Finnish phrase used to tell when you don't understand what the other person is saying is ‘En ymmärrä’. Sometimes, you may not follow what the other person is saying. The best option is to ask them about repeating the same. In Finnish, the phrase to ask for repetition is ‘voitko sanoa uudelleen’. Another option is to ask the person to talk slowly. To do this, you may politely ask that person, ‘Puhuisitteko hieman hitaammin?’
Some other important phrases:
If you want to say I am having no problem, then tell ‘Ei kesta’. This phrase is also used to express ‘you’re welcome’ and ‘no worries’. If you make any mistake and want to apologize, tell that person ‘Anteeksi’ which means ‘Excuse me’. The informal version is ‘anteeks’. You may also use the phrase ‘Onko kaikki kunnossa?’ to ask if everything is alright or not. This is also used to check the wellbeing of any person. Last but not least is telling someone that you are fine. The Finnish phrase is ‘Olen hyvin’.
So, practice those terms before visiting Finland for better cooperation.
