Finnish IRL

Words - page 2

mä - two people talking on the shore of an autumn lake beside a wooden jetty
mä written minä The word every textbook spells with three more letters
meen - a woman pulling her coat on in a dim Finnish hallway, half out of the door and calling back into the flat, snow outside
meen written menen In Finnish you do not get married - you go into marriages, and it is plural
mennään - two friends standing up from a café table at the same moment, one already pulling a coat on, melting snow outside the window
mennään written menemme "Let's go" and "we go" are the same word, and your textbook taught neither
moi - a woman at a Finnish supermarket checkout giving the smallest possible nod to the man stepping into the queue behind her
moi Say it once and it is hello, say it twice and you are leaving
mökki - a man standing on the steps of a small red Finnish summer cottage with a coffee cup, a lake glinting through the birches
mökki Half a million of them, and the rules are all unwritten
mulla on - a woman holding up a loyalty card to show a Finnish shop cashier that she has one, bright spring daylight through the doors
mulla on written minulla on I'm hungry in Finnish is at me is a hunger, because the language never built a verb for have
mun - a woman lifting her coat off the back of a café chair as an older man reaches for the same one, melting snow outside
mun written minun Say the phrase your textbook drilled and a Finn hears you arguing over whose book it is
myötähäpeä - a woman in a bar watching something off to the side with both hands half over her face, unable to look away
myötähäpeä One word for the feeling that makes you cover your eyes at a wedding speech
ne - an older couple on an apartment balcony looking down at neighbours in the courtyard below, yellow autumn leaves around them
ne written he Finland advertised its pronoun on billboards abroad. At home it says this one
nii - two older men on a bench by a still Finnish lake looking straight ahead, one answering the other in a single syllable
nii written niin Someone wrote 330 pages on the difference between this and joo
niinku - a woman explaining something to a younger colleague across a Finnish canteen table with one hand circling in the air, snow outside the window
niinku written niin kuin Finns are teased for this one and say it anyway
no niin - two older women on a sauna bench wrapped in towels, the stove glowing beside them
no niin Two words, no meaning, and a Finn can run a whole conversation on them
no - an older man on a park bench starting a story to the woman beside him, one hand lifting, green summer trees behind
no It looks like English "no" and means the opposite of a refusal
onks - a man leaning on a Finnish kiosk counter asking whether something is in, the older vendor already reaching under the counter
onks written onko Move the question letter one word to the left and you have asked something else
oon - a young woman on the phone in an office kitchen doorway saying where she is, coffee cup already in hand, melting snow on the ledge outside
oon written olen Someone rings to say where they are. This is the word you will miss
perkele - a man standing beside a car with its bonnet up in a snowy Finnish car park, looking at the engine with flat fury
perkele Not the Finnish for "oh dear"
puhutko englantia - a young woman asking a halting question at a lit Finnish kiosk window in the snow, and getting the answer back without a pause
puhutko englantia The answer is yes, and that is the whole problem
punanen - a man holding up a red jumper and a grey one in a Finnish shop, telling the friend beside him which he means, snow through the window
punanen written punainen The national dream is a punainen tupa, and nobody pronounces the i
sä - an older woman behind a Finnish kiosk counter leaning forward and asking a young customer something directly, pointing with an open hand
sä written sinä The polite version you are looking for does not exist
sauna - a man in a towel sitting with a beer outside a small wood-fired Finnish sauna, steam off his shoulders and deep snow all round
sauna More saunas than cars, and one rule everyone actually enforces
se - two women talking by a bar table, one tipping her chin towards someone off to the side while she talks about them
se written hän Finns call people "it", and no course will tell you
semmonen - a man describing a shape with both hands to a shop assistant who is nodding along, bare trees through the window
semmonen written semmoinen Finnish has three words for "that kind of", and one is how bad news arrives
sisu - a woman in a reflective work jacket pushing a bicycle up a slushy hill into driving sleet, a plain Finnish apartment block behind her
sisu The noun is the export. Finns reach for a different form of it
vessa - a man in a Finnish restaurant asking a passing waiter a short question, and the waiter pointing off to one side without stopping
vessa written käymälä The word on the sign is not the word anyone says