Learn Hardcore Finnish: Jutellaanhan ensin, sitten syödään.

The enclitic particle -han/-hän softens the statement and invites agreement. Here it makes the suggestion sound friendly and inclusive—roughly “let’s chat first, shall we?” It can also carry a nuance like “as you know / after all,” but in this sentence it mainly functions as a polite softener.

Why is it -han and not -hän?

Because of vowel harmony. The clitic is written -hAn, and the vowel agrees with the last vowel of the word it attaches to:

After a back vowel (a, o, u): use -han → jutellaanhan.
After a front vowel (ä, ö, y): use -hän → e.g., syödäänhän. Note this has nothing to do with the pronoun hän (“he/she”), which is a separate word.

Is jutellaan an imperative?

Morphologically, no—it’s the Finnish present passive/impersonal. Pragmatically, though, Finnish uses this form to make inclusive suggestions equivalent to English “let’s …”. The actual 1st‑person plural imperative is the formal/written jutelkaamme, but in everyday Finnish jutellaan is what you’ll hear and read for “let’s chat.”

Why is present tense used to talk about a future sequence (“then we eat”)?

Finnish doesn’t have a dedicated future tense. The present tense covers both present and future, and adverbs like ensin (“first”) and sitten (“then/after that”) show the time relation. So sitten syödään naturally means “then we’ll eat.”

Why are there no subject pronouns like “we”?

Jutellaan / syödään are impersonal/passive forms and don’t take a personal ending, so no subject pronoun is needed.
If you want a personal “we” in standard Finnish, you’d use syömme (1PL), or in colloquial Finnish me syödään. All are grammatical; they differ in style and register.

What’s the difference in tone between Jutellaan ensin and Jutellaanhan ensin?

Jutellaan ensin: a straightforward, neutral directive (“let’s chat first”).
Jutellaanhan ensin: gentler and more inviting—seeks agreement and sounds more polite.

Can I move -han somewhere else?

The clitic attaches to the first element of the clause. If the verb comes first, jutellaanhan is right. If you front the adverb, you can put it on that: Ensinhan/Ensinhän jutellaan, sitten syödään. Don’t write Ensin jutellaanhan (ungrammatical), because the clitic isn’t on the first element there.

Could I turn this into a question like “Shall we talk first?” in Finnish?

Yes. Use the question clitic -ko/-kö on the first element:

Jutellaanko ensin, sitten syödään? (“Shall we talk first, then eat?”) You could also include both as questions if you want: Jutellaanko ensin, ja syödäänkö sitten?

Do we need the comma between the clauses?

Yes. Finnish typically uses a comma between two main clauses even without a conjunction. You can also add ja (“and”): Jutellaanhan ensin, ja sitten syödään, but the ja is optional here.

Does sitten syödään mean “someone eats then” or “we eat then”?

Literally it’s impersonal (“then eating is done”), but context usually maps it to an inclusive “we.” In instructions/recipes it could mean “then one eats,” while in planning or suggestions it’s naturally “then we eat.”

Why is it syödään and not something like syötään or syödään with a single ä?

It’s the regular present passive of syödä (“to eat”): syödään. Two key points:

Type‑2 verbs ending in -da/-dä form the present passive by replacing that with -daan/-dään: juoda → juodaan, syödä → syödään.
The long vowel ää comes from the passive ending, and front‑vowel harmony gives -dään (not -daan) because the stem has front vowels (syö-).

Can I add ja (“and”): Jutellaanhan ensin, ja sitten syödään?

Yes. It’s fine and perhaps a bit more explicit. In short, both with and without ja are natural.

Is there a more formal alternative to jutellaan?

Yes, the formal/written 1PL imperative jutelkaamme (“let us chat”). In everyday speech and most writing, jutellaan is preferred.

What’s the difference between jutella, puhua, and keskustella?

jutella: to chat, informal/light conversation.
puhua: to speak/talk (neutral, can be about speaking a language: puhua suomea).
keskustella: to discuss, often implies a more deliberate exchange of views.

What’s the difference between ensin and ensiksi?

Both can mean “first,” but:

ensin is the most common temporal adverb: “first/at first.”
ensiksi is often used in enumerations/list-like contexts: “firstly, …” Here ensin is the default choice; ensiksi would sound a bit list-like.

Does -han always make things polite?

It softens and seeks shared ground, so it usually sounds friendlier. Intonation matters, though: a firm, falling intonation can still make it sound like a directive, while a light, inviting intonation feels cooperative.