Language/Finnish/Vocabulary/Introducing-Yourself

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As a Finnish language teacher, I find it essential to teach my students how to introduce themselves and ask for someone's name in Finnish. It's the basic step to start any conversation, and it's crucial to get it right. In this lesson, we will cover some vocabulary related to introductions and practice some useful phrases. So, let's get started!

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Numbers 1 20 & Animals.

Greetings

Before we dive into introductions, let's review some basic greetings in Finnish. Knowing how to greet someone is important to start any conversation. Here are some common Finnish greetings:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
Hei	[ˈhe̞i]	Hello
Moi	[ˈmo̞i]	Hi
Terve	[ˈterve̞]	Hi / Bye / Cheers / Healthy
Päivää	[ˈpæi̯väː]	Good day
Hyvää huomenta	[hyʋæː ˈhuo̯mentæ]	Good morning
Hyvää päivää	[hyʋæː ˈpæi̯ʋæː]	Good afternoon
Hyvää iltaa	[hyʋæː ˈiltæː]	Good evening
Näkemiin	[ˈnæke̞mine̞n]	Goodbye
Moikka	[ˈmo̞i̯kːɑ]	Bye

Remember that in Finland, it's common to greet people with a handshake. So, be prepared to shake hands when you meet someone.

Introducing Yourself

Introducing yourself is one of the first things you'll have to do when meeting new people. Here are some common ways to introduce yourself in Finnish:

• Olen [name] - I am [name]
• Minun nimeni on [name] - My name is [name]
• Hauska tavata - Nice to meet you
• Mitä kuuluu? - How are you?

After you introduce yourself, it's common to ask the other person's name. Here are some phrases that you can use:

• Mikä sinun nimesi on? - What is your name?
• Mikä on teidän nimenne? - What is your name? (formal)

The word "sinun" means "your" in the singular form, and "teidän" means "your" in the plural form. If you're not sure whether to use the singular or plural form, it's always safe to use the plural form.

Here are some example dialogues:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
A: Moi, olen Maria.	[ˈmo̞i̯ ˈole̞n ˈmɑriɑ]	Hi, I am Maria.
B: Moi, minun nimeni on Mikko. Hauska tavata.	[ˈmo̞i̯ ˈminun ˈnime̞ni on ˈmikːo] [ˈhɑuska ˈtɑʋɑtɑ]	Hi, my name is Mikko. Nice to meet you.
A: Mikä sinun nimesi on?	[ˈmikæ ˈsinun ˈnime̞si‿on]	What is your name?
B: Minun nimeni on Anna. Entä sinun nimesi?	[ˈminun ˈnime̞ni‿on ˈɑnːɑ] [ˈentæ ˈsinun ˈnime̞si]	My name is Anna. And what is your name?

Vocabulary

Let's go through some important vocabulary related to introductions:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
nimi	[ˈnimi]	name
sukunimi	[ˈsukuˌnimi]	surname
etunimi	[ˈetuˌnimi]	first name
ammatti	[ˈɑmːɑtːi]	profession / occupation
ikä	[ˈikæ]	age
syntymäaika	[ˈsyntymæˌɑi̯kæ]	birthdate

Here's an example dialogue using some of this vocabulary:

Finnish	Pronunciation	English
A: Hei, mikä sinun nimesi on?	[hei̯] [mikæ ˈsinun ˈnime̞si‿on]	Hi, what is your name?
B: Olen Anna.	[ˈole̞n ˈɑnːɑ]	I am Anna.
A: Kiva tavata, Anna. Mikä on sukunimesi?	[ˈkiʋɑ ˈtɑʋɑtɑ ˈɑnːɑ] [ˈmikæ‿on ˈsukuˌnime̞si]	Nice to meet you, Anna. What is your surname?
B: Sukunimeni on Karlsson.	[ˈsukuˌnime̞ni‿on ˈkɑrlsˌson]	My surname is Karlsson.
A: Mikä on ammattisi?	[ˈmikæ‿on ˈɑmːɑtːisi]	What is your profession?
B: Olen opettaja.	[ˈole̞n ɔpe̞tˈtɑjɑ]	I am a teacher.
A: Miten vanha olet?	[ˈmite̞n ˈvɑnhɑ ˈole̞t]	How old are you?
B: Olen 35 vuotta.	[ˈole̞n 35 ˈʋuotɑ]	I am 35 years old.
A: Milloin olet syntynyt?	[ˈmilloin ˈole̞t ˈsyntynyt]	When were you born?
B: Olen syntynyt kuudennentoista heinäkuuta vuonna 1985.	[ˈole̞n ˈsyntynyt ˈkuːdenːentoistɑ ˈheinæˌkuu̯tɑ ˈʋuonːɑ 1985]	I was born on the 16th of July 1985.

Conclusion

Learning how to introduce yourself and ask for someone's name in Finnish is an essential first step in mastering the language. In this lesson, we covered some basic vocabulary related to introductions and practiced some useful phrases. Keep practicing, and soon you'll be able to introduce yourself confidently in Finnish!

Impressive work on finishing this lesson! Explore these additional pages to enhance your understanding: Politics and Government & Education.

Table of Contents - Finnish Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Finnish

• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Basic Sentence Structure

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Nouns and Adjectives

• Noun Cases
• Adjective Agreement

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-20
• Telling Time

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Daily Activities

• Daily Routine
• Hobbies and Leisure

  ---

Questions and Negation

• Forming Questions
• Negation

  ---

Food and Dining

• Food Vocabulary
• Dining Out

  ---

Prepositions and Postpositions

• Prepositions
• Postpositions

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

  ---

Finnish Culture and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Finnish Sauna

  ---

Weather and Seasons

• Weather Vocabulary
• Seasons

  ---

Conjunctions and Subordinate Clauses

• Conjunctions
• Subordinate Clauses

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationships

  ---

Finnish Literature and Music

• Finnish Literature
• Finnish Music

Other Lessons

• Home
• Weather Vocabulary
• Animals
• Days of the Week
• Parts of the Body
• Camping
• Family and Relationships
• Modes of Transportation
• Food and Beverage
• How to Say Hello and Greetings

Sources

• How to introduce yourself in Finnish - A good place to start learning ...
• 10 Finnish Lines You Need for Introducing Yourself

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