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Finnish

### Thanks, and the Answer to Thanks

**Kiitos** is thank you. It is also *please* — Finnish has no separate word for it, so **kiitos** does both jobs depending on where it sits.

The reply is **ole hyvä**, literally "be good", which doubles as *here you are* when handing something over. **Ei kestä** — literally "it does not last" — is the more casual *don't mention it*.

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### Sorry, and the Answer to Sorry

**Anteeksi** covers everything English splits between *sorry* and *excuse me*. You use it to apologise, to get past someone, and to open a question to a stranger.

The standard reply is **ei se mitään** — "it's nothing", *never mind*.

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### Yes, and How Finns Actually Say It

| word | register |
|---|---|
| **kyllä** | neutral, and the one you write |
| **joo** | casual, and what you will hear far more often |
| **selvä** | "okay, got it" — agreement rather than yes |

**Kyllä** is not wrong in speech, but a Finn answering a friend says **joo**. Learn both.

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### Two Formulas Worth Memorising

**Mitä kuuluu?** is *how are you?* — literally "what is heard?". It is a real question in Finland, not a passing noise, and it expects an actual answer.

**Hauska tutustua** is *nice to meet you*, and **kiitos samoin** is the all-purpose *thanks, likewise* — the reply to any good wish at all.

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Thank you and sorry (kiitos, anteeksi)

adjective

adposition

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

postposition

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Demonstrative pronouns (tämä, tuo, se)

Singular personal pronouns (minä, sinä, hän)

Plural personal pronouns (me, te, he)

Plural demonstratives (nämä, nuo, ne)

Coordinating conjunctions (ja, mutta, tai)

Yes/no questions (-ko / -kö)

Basic question words (kuka, mikä, missä)

Negation of to be (en ole, ei ole)

The inessive case (-ssa / -ssä)

Double consonant gradation (kk, pp, tt)

Consonant gradation (-ssa/-ssä)

Verb Type 1 (puhun, puhut, puhuu)

Verb Type 1 with consonant gradation

Negative verbs (en puhu, et lue)

External location (-lla/-llä)

There is / there are (kaupungissa on)

Possession (minulla on)

Numbers 1 to 10 (yksi, kaksi, kolme)

The partitive singular (-a/-ä, -ta/-tä)

Quantities with numbers (kaksi autoa)

Negative possession (ei ole)

Numbers 11 to 100 and 1000

Partitive verbs

Partitive personal pronouns (minua, sinua)

Verb Type 2 (-da/-dä)

Partitive for mass nouns (-a/-ä, -ta/-tä)

Partitive for negative objects

Adjective agreement

Verb Type 3

The elative case (-sta/-stä)

Negative possession (minulla ei ole…)

The illative case (-Vn, -hVn, -seen)

Numbers 21 to 99

Static vs. movement verbs

Verb Type 4 (-Vta / -Vtä)

Verb Type 5 (-ita / -itä)

Genitive singular for possession (-n)

Total object (-n)

Accusative personal pronouns (-t)

Obligation (täytyy)

Into places (-Vn, -hVn, -seen)

Postpositions with the genitive

My and your (-ni, -si)

Onto and to someone (-lle)

From someone or somewhere (-lta, -ltä)

Telling time (kello on...)

Months of the year (-ssa, -ssä)

Days of the week (-na, -nä)

When and why (milloin, miksi)

The illative case (mihin, -Vn, -hVn, -seen)

Past tense of to be (olin, olit, oli)

The seasons (kevät, kesä, syksy, talvi)

The imperative mood (lue!, syö!, mene!)

The past tense of to be (olin, oli)

The illative case (-hVn, -seen)

Greetings and goodbyes (hei, näkemiin)

Liking things (pitää / tykätä + -sta/-stä)

Temporary states and roles (-na/-nä)

Change of state (-ksi)

Ongoing actions (-massa/-mässä)

Going to do an action (-maan/-mään)

Returning from an action (-masta/-mästä)

Third-person possessives (-nsa/-nsä or -Vn)

Plural possessives (-mme, -nne)

Indefinite pronouns (joku, jokin, kaikki)

Negative indefinite pronouns (ei kukaan, ei mikään)

Commands for verb types 4 and 5

Adverb formation (-sti)

Past tense for verb type 1 (-i-)

Past tense vowel changes for verb type 1 (-o- / -i-)

Past tense for verb type 2 (-i-)

Past tense for verb type 3 (-i-)

Past tense for verb type 4 (-si-)

Past tense for verb type 5 (-itsi-)

Past tense consonant gradation

Past participles for verb types 1 and 2 (-nut / -nyt)

Past participle singular for verb types 3-5 (-nnut, -llut)

Active past participle plural (-neet)

Past tense negative (en mennyt, emme olleet)

The perfect tense (olen ollut)

The perfect tense negative (en ole nähnyt)

Total plural objects (-t)

Partitive plural (-ia / -iä)

Partitive plural (-ja / -jä)

Partitive plural (-ita / -itä)

Question	Answer
thank you; please	kiitos
Thank you, teacher!	Kiitos, opettaja!
Thank you! You are a good friend.	Kiitos! Sinä olet hyvä ystävä.
you're welcome; here you are	ole hyvä
Here you are! This book is new.	Ole hyvä! Tämä kirja on uusi.
Here you are! The food is ready.	Ole hyvä! Ruoka on valmis.
don't mention it	ei kestä
Don't mention it! It is easy.	Ei kestä! Se on helppo.
Don't mention it, friend!	Ei kestä, ystävä!
sorry; excuse me	anteeksi
Excuse me! Where is the school?	Anteeksi! Missä koulu on?
Excuse me, are you a teacher?	Anteeksi, oletko sinä opettaja?
never mind, it's nothing	ei se mitään
Never mind! I am not angry.	Ei se mitään! Minä en ole vihainen.
Never mind, it is an old bag.	Ei se mitään, se on vanha laukku.
yes	kyllä
Yes, I am a student.	Kyllä, minä olen opiskelija.
Are you hungry? Yes!	Oletko sinä nälkäinen? Kyllä!
yeah (casual)	joo
Yeah, we are at the cafe.	Joo, me olemme kahvilassa.
Yeah, this is a good book.	Joo, tämä on hyvä kirja.
okay, got it	selvä
Okay! I am ready.	Selvä! Minä olen valmis.
Okay! You are a student.	Selvä! Sinä olet opiskelija.
thanks, likewise	kiitos samoin
Thanks, likewise, teacher!	Kiitos samoin, opettaja!
Thanks, likewise! I am happy.	Kiitos samoin! Minä olen iloinen.
how are you?	mitä kuuluu
How are you, friend?	Mitä kuuluu, ystävä?
How are you? I am tired.	Mitä kuuluu? Minä olen väsynyt.
nice to meet you	hauska tutustua
Nice to meet you! I am a teacher.	Hauska tutustua! Minä olen opettaja.
Nice to meet you, friend!	Hauska tutustua, ystävä!

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