How to learn Finnish, fast!
Before you dive into Finland’s saunas, forests and cosy cafés, learning a little Finnish can unlock a whole new layer of an adventure in Finland. Whether you’re on your way for a city break in Helsinki, or planning your travels for high above the Arctic Circle, a few words and phrases in Finnish will help you upgrade your experience from good to great.
Is your Finland trip approaching and you’d love to impress the locals with some polite words and handy phrases? Even though Finnish might be considered as one of the hardest languages in the world to learn for English speakers – and actually mastering it will require a lot of hard work – there are shortcuts. We can assure you learning the basics is not that hard!
Master Finnish with your smartphone
Getting started is easy with your smartphone. The world’s biggest language learning app, Duolingo, offers free, bitesize lessons, meaning you can practice a little Finnish every day ahead of your trip or even practice it on your flight. Duolingo is easy to use, combining listening tasks, multiple choice questions and speaking tests to help get your Finnish language up to speed in as little as five minutes per day.
Before you know it, you’ll be saying ‘hei’ and ‘kiitos’ with confidence. Learning the basics will help you translate some words from Finnish to English, too, as well as making encounters with locals feel even more special. Finns love it when visitors make that little extra effort, even if your pronunciation isn’t perfect.
Listen to Finnish pronunciation from podcasts and shows
If you haven’t been to Finland yet, you might not have heard any Finnish before. Try listening to it before your trip to get used to this down-to-earth, unique-sounding secret language. You can find Finnish music and podcasts on Spotify, some even dedicated for people learning Finnish. For instance, FinnishPod101 helps listeners learn Finnish numbers, letters and basic phrases.
There’s also the wealth of shows on streaming services that can give you hand in learning Finnish, as well as helping to translate Finnish to English when needed. Try watching Sorjonen (Bordertown) and Deadwind, which are great for understanding conversational Finnish – not to mention keeping you entertained.
Learn at least these
If you don’t have time to dive into too deep in the secrets of Finnish, some basic phares will already take you far and put a smile on locals’ face.
We put together a short list to get you started. Try memorising the phrases below and practice their pronunciation by reading them out loud. Pay attention to the long versus short sounds (‘kiitos’ versus ‘ei’) – the excellent news here is that pronouncing Finnish is very consistent!
| Kiitos (paljon)! | Thank you (so much)! |
| Hei! / Moi! | Hi! |
| Hei hei! / Moi moi! | Bye! |
| Joo / Kyllä | Yes |
| Ei | No |
| Mitä kuuluu? | How are you? |
| Hauska tavata! | Nice to meet you! |
| Minun nimeni on… | My name is… |
| Anteeksi! | I’m sorry! |
| Puhutko englantia? | Do you speak English? |
| Missä on vessa? | Where is the toilet? |
| Paljonko tämä maksaa? | How much is this? |
| Saisinko lasin mustikkamehua? | Could I have a cup of blueberry juice, please? |
| Bonus: | |
| Kuusi palaa | Six pieces / The spruce is on fire / The number six is on fire / The spruce returns / Your moon is on fire |
If language is your passion and you wish to master some Finnish idioms, check out this comprehensive list and get ready to impress the Finns.
Put your skills into practice
If you have taken your learning a bit further, try ordering lunch or buying train tickets in Finnish when in Finland. The main thing is to give it a go and keep practicing. You won’t be fluent, and certainly not perfect at first, but being armed with a few words and the willingness to try them will make all the difference when it comes to practicing your Finnish skills.
While most locals in Finland speak English, you’re likely to find that the more you speak Finnish, the easier it becomes and the more natural it feels. There are also kind Finns around to help you brush up on your pronunciation and boost your vocabulary.
Now all you need is your smartphone and a plane ticket to Finland. What are you waiting for?