Finnish as a Second Language flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Partitive object rule

Use the partitive object when the action is ongoing, unfinished, negated, or the quantity is indefinite: luen kirjaa, en osta autoa, ostan maitoa. A complete result takes the total object: luen kirjan.

Consonant gradation k p t

Stops weaken when a syllable closes: kk→k, pp→p, tt→t, k→∅, p→v, t→d. Examples: kauppa→kaupan, kylpy→kylvyn, katu→kadun, jalka→jalan.

Illative endings

The 'into' case is formed with a lengthened vowel (talo→taloon), -hVn after a long vowel or diphthong (maa→maahan, työ→työhön), or -seen in some stems (huone→huoneeseen).

Colloquial pronouns mä sä se

Spoken Finnish uses mä, sä, se, me, te, ne instead of minä, sinä, hän, me, te, he. Person is still shown by the verb ending, so context resolves se.

Passive as spoken we

In puhekieli the passive covers first-person plural: me mennään ('we go'), me ei tiedetä ('we don't know'). Written Finnish prefers menemme and emme tiedä.

Back-channel signals

Short responses such as niin, joo, aivan, kyllä and mm signal that the listener is following. They do not necessarily mean agreement with the content.

Decimal comma and dates

Finnish writes decimals with a comma (3,5) and dates with full stops (3.5.2025). A colon links a year to its case ending: vuonna 2025, but 2025:ssä.

Formal letter closing

A formal Finnish message ends with Ystävällisin terveisin ('with kind regards') or Kunnioittavasti, followed by the sender's name on the next line.

Number government partitive

After numbers greater than one the noun stands in the partitive singular: kaksi kirjaa, viisi euroa, sata ihmistä. The verb may still be singular.

Postpositions take genitive

Most Finnish postpositions govern the genitive: pöydän alla, talon edessä, sinun kanssa(n). Prepositions are rare and take the partitive: ilman sinua, ennen joulua.

First-syllable stress

Finnish stress is fixed on the first syllable of every word, with secondary stress on later odd syllables. Stress never distinguishes meaning, unlike vowel length.

Vowel and consonant length

Long sounds are held roughly twice as long as short ones and change meaning: tuli (fire), tuuli (wind), tulli (customs). Spelling marks length with a double letter.

Conditional politeness

The conditional softens requests: Voisitko auttaa? ('Could you help?'), Haluaisin kahvin. Finnish has no separate word for 'please'; tone and conditional carry politeness.

Negative verb conjugation

The negative verb inflects for person: en, et, ei, emme, ette, eivät. The main verb follows in the stem form without a personal ending: en mene, emme tule.

Six local cases

Internal: -ssa/-ssä (in), -sta/-stä (from inside), illative (into). External: -lla/-llä (on), -lta/-ltä (from off), -lle (onto). Direction picks the case.

Verb type one

Type 1 verbs end in two vowels and drop the final vowel before personal endings: puhua→puhun, sanoa→sanon, ostaa→ostan. The infinitive marker is -a/-ä.

Verb type three

Type 3 verbs end in -la, -na, -ra, -sta and add -e- before endings: tulla→tulen, mennä→menen, nousta→nousen, ajatella→ajattelen.

Imperfect marker i

The past tense adds -i- to the stem: puhun→puhuin, tulen→tulin, ostan→ostin. Vowel changes occur before i: sanon→sanoin, luen→luin.

Perfect and pluperfect

The perfect is olla in the present plus the past participle: olen puhunut ('I have spoken'). The pluperfect uses the past of olla: olin puhunut ('I had spoken').

Pitää plus elative

'To like something' is pitää + elative: pidän kahvista, pidätkö sinä kalasta. The construction is not used with a direct object.

Possessive suffixes

Possessive suffixes attach after the case ending: talossani ('in my house'), taloistani ('from my houses'), taloihini ('into my houses'). Spoken Finnish often drops them.

Agent derivation -ja

The suffix -ja/-jä forms the doer of a verb: opettaa→opettaja, myydä→myyjä, tehdä→tekijä. The -minen form instead names the action: opettaminen.

Sinuttelu versus teitittely

Sinä is the everyday address for colleagues, students and strangers of similar age. Te is reserved for elderly people and very formal service encounters.

Silence as a turn signal

A pause of several seconds before an answer is normal in Finnish conversation and signals thinking, not refusal. Filling it with talk can interrupt the other speaker.

Punctuality norm

Appointments and meetings start at the agreed time; arriving late requires a message. Arriving well before the time can also inconvenience the host.

Sauna etiquette

The sauna is a normal social setting; going in mixed company is usual within families, towels are used outside the hot room, and declining an invitation is acceptable.

Repair request phrases

Useful repair formulas: Anteeksi, voisitko toistaa? ('Could you repeat?'), Voitko puhua hitaammin? ('Could you speak more slowly?'), Mitä se tarkoittaa? ('What does it mean?').

Indirect refusal mutta

A Finnish refusal is often softened with a positive opening and mutta: Kyllä se varmaan käy, mutta minulla on silloin menoa. The mutta-clause carries the actual no.

Reading reference chains

Hän refers to people, se to things (and colloquially to people), ne to plurals. Follow the noun that fits the verb, not the pronoun alone.

News text structure

Finnish news items put the main event in the first sentence, background next, and consequences last. Official letters place the deadline and consequence in the final paragraph.

Question intonation

Yes/no questions end with -ko/-kö and rise in pitch; wh-questions with mikä, missä or milloin fall. Statement intonation falls at the end.

Register matching

Match the interlocutor's register: formal written Finnish for applications and official email, puhekieli for casual talk. Switching register mid-conversation sounds incongruous.