Learn how to ask "How do you say this in Finnish?"
Now Playing: Lesson Audio
Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.
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.
Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.
| 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 34 - How Do You Say This in Finnish? |
| Reeta: One of the most important things to be able to ask is how to say something in another language. In this lesson, we're going to cover "How do you say [something] in Finnish?" So let's get started right away! |
| The Finns are famous for their vodka, so let's assume that you want to buy some but have no idea what to call it in Finnish! What do you do now? Of course, you ask with Survival Phrases! |
| In Finnish, "How do you say 'vodka' in Finnish?" is Miten sanotaan "vodka" suomeksi? Let’s break it down, Miten sanotaan "vodka" suomeksi. Once more, Miten sanotaan "vodka" suomeksi. The first word, miten, means, "how." This is followed by sanotaan, which is "say" in the passive form, as you all remember. In English, we could literally translate this as "how is said." Next, we have the word vodka (or any other word you want to ask about). Now, the only word remaining is suomeksi, "in Finnish." |
| All together, we have Miten sanotaan vodka suomeksi? Literally, this means, "How is said vodka in Finnish?" |
| Not to leave you hanging: "vodka" in Finnish is vodka. |
| You can also use this expression without using any English. To accomplish this, you can use the expression "How do you say this in Finnish?" In Finnish, "this" is tämä. |
| So in Finnish, "How do you say this in Finnish?" is Miten tämä sanotaan suomeksi? Let’s break it down, Miten tämä sanotaan suomeksi. Once again, Miten tämä sanotaan suomeksi. The structure is similar to the previous sentence, except that in place of "vodka," we have the demonstrative adjective tämä, and this time it comes before the word sanotaan ("is said"). This is a phrase you can use while pointing at something. |
| To ask, "How do you say that in Finnish?," simply substitute the word tämä with tuo ("that"). You will have Miten tuo sanotaan suomeksi? Let’s break it down, Miten tuo sanotaan suomeksi. Once more, Miten tuo sanotaan suomeksi. |
| But wait, it's your Finnish friend's birthday and you want to wish him/her a happy birthday-but you don't know how to say it. Let's try to ask: Miten sanotaan "happy birthday" suomeksi? ("How do you say happy birthday in Finnish?") The first word is miten, "how." Then you have sanotaan, which is the present tense in passive form of the verb sanoa ("to say"). |
| Then the word or expression you wish someone to translate, and finally, you have suomeksi which you have previously seen. |
| "Happy birthday," by the way, is hyvää syntymäpäivää! |
| 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. |
| “How do you say vodka in Finnish?” - Miten sanotaan "vodka" suomeksi? |
| “How do you say this in Finnish?” - Miten tämä sanotaan suomeksi? |
| “How do you say that in Finnish?” - Miten tuo sanotaan suomeksi? |
| “How do you say "Happy birthday" in Finnish?” - Miten sanotaan "Happy birthday" suomeksi? |
| 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