So let’s start with a greeting. Hello in Finnish language is Hei. Good morning would be Huomenta!, while good night would be Hyvää yötä!. Good afternoon and good evening are Päivää, and Iltaa respectively. If you want to ask someone how are you, then the correct Finnish way to say it would be Mitä kuuluu?

If you are asked the same question, the appropriate response would be Kiitos hyvää, meaning Fine, thank you. While responding to someone who was just introduced to you, try saying Hauska tutustua, which essentially means ‘Pleased to meet you’.

If you have to introduce yourself, you could say Mina olen Jim Harris, meaning I am Jim Harris. While indicating the languages you speak, say Mina puhun englantia ja vahaan suomea, which essentially means that you speak English, and a bit of Finnish.

If you don’t speak Finnish, then you could say Anteeksi, mutta minä en puhu suomea. If you have to enquire if a person can speak English, ask them Puhutteko Te englantia?. Kiitos is Finnish for thank you, and Olkaa hyvä is Finnish for you are welcome. Anteeksi means I am sorry in Finnish.

If you have to ask someone their name, say Mikä sinun nimesi on? If you have to ask someone what the time is, say Paljonko kello on?  If you want to buy a particular item but want to know the price, ask Paljonko tämä maksaa?; which is basically ‘how much does this cost?’.

If you are happy with the price quoted you could confirm the purchase by saying, Ostan tämän, or I’ll buy this. While asking for direction you could start your sentence with ‘Missa on’ followed by the name of the place you want to want to visit; Missa on, basically means ‘Where is…’.

Now on to a few important words in Finnish. Kylla is yes in Finnish, and ei is no. Hyvin is good, and huono or huonosti is bad. The words Mina, San, Han, stand for I, you, he/she respectively; while me, te, he, stand for we, you and they.

While in Finland, it would also be a good idea for you to learn the numbers, and here they are

1 - yksi
2 - kaksi
3 - kolme 
4 - neljä
5 - viisi
6 - kuusi
7 - seitsemän
8 - kahdeksan
9 - yhdeksän
10 - kymmenen
100 - sata
1000 - tuhat

Finnish is considered to be one of the most difficult European languages to learn. But this basic guide to Finnish should help you in getting the message across without any difficulty. So happy Finning!