Finnish Daily Dialogues

Aikoa, meinata, alkaa, aloittaa, ruveta, ryhtyä 👽 What’s the difference - and which one do you actually need to talk about plans, intentions, and getting things started?

Want to see if you've really got them? We've created the interactive lesson based on this episode - with the dialogue script, practice questions, instant feedback, and a final score.

Go to the link and try it out: https://fdd-alkaa-aloittaa.netlify.app

Learn how to ask someone out in Finnish, check if a time works, and cancel plans if you change your mind. We also explore some cultural differences around dating, who makes the first move, who pays, and why silence on a Finnish date isn’t as awkward as you might think.

In this episode, you’ll learn useful vocabulary for talking about birthdays, parties, and gifts, explore some cultural insights about celebrations in Finland, and finally understand how to use –lle and –lta / –ltä when talking about people.

This is the last episode in our series about Finnish locative cases. In this episode, we look at how to answer Mistä? (“from where?”). You’ll learn the key endings, useful fixed expressions, and some common verbs that require this case.

Mistä sä tuut? Mistä sä tykkäät?

In this episode, we look at how to answer Mihin? (“where to?”) in Finnish: the key endings, useful fixed expressions, and some verbs that require this case. We also cover how to say “to whom".

Note! It’s a follow-up to our Missä and Millä episodes, so we recommend listening to those first.

Welcome to marraskuu 💀 In this episode, we talk about aistiverbit - Finnish sense verbs like tuntua, näyttää, kuulostaa, tuoksua, and maistua. We will also share some of our favorite excuses for canceling plans if all you need is to stay home with glögi and viltti.

Flying soon? In this episode, we take you from the airport to your seat on the plane, with all the phrases you need along the way: checking in, ordering mustikkamehu, and even asking “Saanko peiton?” if you’re a real vilukissa.

In Finnish, we don’t distinguish between “he” and “she” — the word “hän” is gender neutral. And in spoken Finnish, people often use “se” (which literally means it) when talking about people, too! In this episode, we explain how to say “he is,” “she is,” and “it is”, and share some insights into when to use hän vs. se.

Learn how to invite a friend to the beach in Finnish! In this episode we share everyday phrases, spoken Finnish tips, and some insights on using -lla and -lle endings.Discover words like auringonpalvoja (“sun worshipper”) and never mix up tuoda and tulla again.