Questions

Finnish Lesson 9 (Questions and Misunderstanding)

Duration: 30 mins

Lessons Finnish Lessons
Linguistic Finnish Vocabulary
Culture Finnish Phrases
Structure Finnish Grammar

This 9th lesson teaches an important aspect in Finnish which is the interrogative form also called questions. In addition, there is a list of vocabulary terms about misunderstanding and finally some commonly used phrases. I will try to give examples using both vocabulary and grammar. That way it will be easy for you to see the words when they are separate and when they are in a sentence. Going through the whole page should take about 30 min. Make sure to read the pronunciation and hear the audio as well. If you have any question about this course, please email me directly at Finnish Classes.

Questions

Being able to ask questions is what makes us curious beings, which in turns broadens our knowledge. It is no different when it comes to learning Finnish. You will always be asking questions, and the following are some tools to help you in that quest.

The following are the 5 Ws + "how" commonly used adverbs to express the interrogative form. Most likely, whenever a question needs to be asked, one of them should be used. The table contains 3 columns (English, Finnish, and Audio). Make sure you repeat each word after hearing it by either clicking on the audio button or by reading the pronunciation. That should help with memorization as well as improving your pronunciation.

Interrogative Form in Finnish

Questions Finnish Audio
How?Kuinka? Miten?
What?Mitä? Mikä?
When?Koska? Milloin?
Where?Missä?
Who?Kuka? Ketkä?
Why?Miksi?

Now we will try to implement the adverbs above into full Finnish sentences. That way you will be able to use the word not only by itself but embedded in a structure.

Finnish Questions in a Sentence

Can I come?Voinko / saanko tulla?
Can I help you?Voinko auttaa sinua?
Can you help me?Voitko auttaa minua?
Do you know her?Tunnetko hänet?
Do you speak English?Puhutko englantia?
How difficult is it?Kuinka vaikea se on?
How far is this?Kuinka kaukana tämä on?
How much is this?Kuinka paljon tämä maksaa?
How would you like to pay?Kuinka haluaisit maksaa?
What is this called?Mikä tämä on nimeltään?
What is your name?Mikä on nimesi?
What time is it?Mitä kello on?
When can we meet?Koska voimme tavata?
Where do you live?Missä asut?
Who is knocking at the door?Kuka koputtaa ovella?
Why is it expensive?Miksi se on kallis?

Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact me If you simply want to ask a question, please Finnish contact form on the header above.

Vocabulary List about Misunderstanding

There are times when you will not understand what a person said in Finnish, or simply that you want them to repeat a word. The following are 24 expressions used to clear misunderstandings. Very essential to any conversation!

Misunderstanding in Finnish

Misunderstanding Finnish Audio
Can you repeat?Voisitko toistaa?
Can you speak slowly?Voisitko puhua hitaasti?
Did you understand what I said?Ymmärsitkö mitä sanoin?
Don't worry!Älä huoli!
Excuse me? (i.e. I beg your pardon?)Anteeksi?
How do you say "OK" in French?Miten sanotaan ""OK"" ranskaksi?
I don't know!En tiedä!
I don't understand!En ymmärrä!
I need to practice my FrenchMinun täytyy harjoitella ranskaani
Is that right?Todellako? / Onko se oikein?
Is that wrong?Onko se väärin?
MistakeVirhe
My French is badRanskani on huonoa
No problem!Ei mitään!
QuicklyNopeasti
SlowlyHitaasti
Sorry (to apologize)Anteeksi
To speakPuhua
What does that word mean in English?Mitä tuo sana tarkoittaa englanniksi?
What is this?Mitä tämä on?
What should I say?Mitä minun tulisi sanoa?
What?Mitä? Mikä?
What's that called in French?Mitä se on ranskaksi?
Write it down please!Kirjoittaisitko sen paperille!

Daily Conversation in Finnish

Finally, a list of some common phrases that you might come across from time to time. For a complete list of commonly used sentences, please visit our Finnish Phrases page. Enjoy!

Common Expressions in Finnish

English Finnish Audio
ThisTämä
ThatSe, Tuo
HereTässä
ThereTuossa, Tuolla
In The MorningAamulla
In the eveningIllalla
At NightYöllä
Really!Niin!
Look!Katso!
Hurry up!Kiirehdi! Pidä kiirettä!

Fun Facts

Language Quote: The oldest written language was believed to be written in about 4500 BC.

Congratulations! You finished your 9th lesson in Finnish about questions, and misunderstanding. Are you ready for the next lesson? We recommend Finnish Lesson 10. You can also simply click on one of the links below or go back to our Learn Finnish homepage.

Lessons Finnish Lessons
Linguistic Finnish Vocabulary
Culture Finnish Phrases
Structure Finnish Grammar