Sunday, March 27, 2016

My top three Finnish products right now

I decided to stop having ads in my blog  because I just got startled by them myself. (No thank you, I don't need a hair transplant.) Inspired by that, here's my top 3 list of Finnish products right now:


What are your favourite Finnish products?

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

News in easy Finnish AND with pictures

Here's something really cool that I just learned about: a website with news in easy Finnish and with pictures: http://selkosanomat.fi/kuva/

If Selkosanomat kuvilla is too simple for you, you can read the regular Selkosanomat or watch and listen to Selkouutiset. If you like Memrise, you could check out my course Vocabulary from Selkouutiset and Selkosanomat.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Containers in Finnish

So many different words for containers! Do you know what's the difference between these eight words:
  1. aski
  2. rasia
  3. tölkki
  4. purkki
  5. paketti
  6. laatikko
  7. kotelo
  8. pakkaus
Pirkka kermajäätelö vanilja 1L
Litran jäätelöpaketti. Kuva: K-ruoka.fi


Here are the answers:

  1. Aski is a small cardboard box, often containing matches, (tulitikkuaski) salmiakki or cigarettes (tupakka-aski). 
  2. Rasia can be of made of any material. I'd say that the most common rasia in a Finnish household is pakasterasia, a plastic freezing container. Pillerirasia is a pill box, korurasia is a jewellery box. 
  3. Tölkki is usually a metal can for beer (oluttölkki), soft drinks (limsatölkki) and for example canned fruit (ananastölkki). 
  4. Purkki can be made of any material, and it can contain both food and other stuff.  It can be tall like maitopurkki (it can also be maitotölkki) or smaller like an individual jogurttipurkki. A glass jar can be either lasipurkki or lasitölkki.
  5. Paketti can be a package or a parcel. Gifts and presents are often wrapped into lahjapaketti. In Finland, ice cream usually comes in jäätelöpaketti. 
  6. Laatikko is a box or a drawer, and also something else
  7. Kotelo is a case as in silmälasikotelo, a glasses case, or viulukotelo, a violin case.
  8. Pakkaus is just a container. In Finnish, it's used most commonly in äitiyspakkaus. 

About the author of Random Finnish Lesson: 


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new. 


Friday, March 11, 2016

Asking something politely in Finnish

Voida is a a handy verb to use when you want to be polite. The conditional mode makes you sound even more polite.

  • Voitko auttaa minua? - Can you help me?
  • Voisitko auttaa minua? - Could you help me?
  • Auttaisitko minua? - Would you help me?

Here's how to say the same things in spoken language:

  • Voiksä auttaa mua? 
  • Voisiksä auttaa mua? 
  • Auttaisiksä mua? 

Sometimes I hear students saying Auta minua, ole hyvä or Ole hyvä ja auta minua which are technically correct, but a bit too much and kind of strict. I never use the imperative + ole hyvä construction unless I'm losing my patience with my kids. If you are for example a doctor, you can say things like Ole hyvä ja istu (Please, sit down) but make sure your tone of voice is super friendly. 


Lue lisää: 



About the author of Random Finnish Lesson: 


My name is Hanna Männikkölahti. I am a professional Finnish teacher who gives private online lessons and simplifies books into easy Finnish. Please read more in www.linktr.ee/hannamannikkolahti and follow this blog, if you want to be the first one to know when I post something new. 

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Things to say when going to sleep in Finnish

I'm sure you know that Good night is Hyvää yötä. Here are other things to say in Finnish when going to sleep, or hoping that other people would go to sleep.

  • Nyt nukkumaan! - Now to sleep!
  • Valot pois! - Lights off!
  • Pää tyynyyn! - (Put your) head on the pillow!
  • Jalat peiton alle! - (Put your) feet under the blanket!
  • Ei saa enää jutella! - No more talking allowed!
  • Nuku hyvin! - Sleep well!
  • Kauniita unia! - Beautiful dreams!
  • Aamulla nähdään! - See you in the morning!