Making a phone call in Finnish

This topic was requested by an anonymous reader a couple of months ago. Kiitos ideasta!

When my phone rings and I don't know who it is, I usually just say my whole name.

This is how I start a phone call when I'm calling to someone that I don't know:

• Tässä on Hanna Männikkölahti Jyväskylästä hei. - This is Hanna Männikkölahti from Jyväskylä, hello. (I don't really know why I always say that I'm from Jyväskylä if I call somewhere else, but that's what I do.)

It's quite important to say shortly why you are calling before starting a long monologue. Most likely you're talking to an operator who won't deal with your case but instead will connect you with another person.  Here are some sentences that I've actually said lately:

• Minulla olisi pari kysymystä arvonlisäverosta. - I'd have a couple of questions about the value added tax. 
• Haluaisin tietää, onko vielä mahdollista hakea teille opiskelemaan. - I'd like to know if it's still possible to apply to study in your institution.
• Keneltä voisin kysyä pääsykokeista? - From whom could I ask about the entrance exams?
• Haluaisin perua lehtitilauksen. - I'd like to cancel a magazine subscription.
• Soitinkohan oikeaan numeroon, kun haluaisin lisätietoa testituloksista? - I wonder if I called to a correct number when I'd like to have more information about the test results? 

Here's what to say in the end:

• Kiitos avusta. - Thanks for the help.
• Tästä oli tosi paljon apua. - This helped me a lot. 
• Hyvää päivänjatkoa! - Have a nice day! (jatko = continuation)

Kuulemiin is the old-fashioned way to end a phone call, but I just usually say Kiitos hei, Hei hei or Kiitti moi! 

Related post: Making a phone call to Löyly