Ready steady, can't hold me back!
Present day...! Present time! HAHAHAHAHA!!!
This time I thought I'd make something for you guys to not read that would be both fun and educational. A list of useful Finnish phrases, in case you ever decide to visit me!
And yes, this means I'm going to teach you how to swear in Finnish. Swearing is an important part of the Finnish culture, and now you too can learn to do it.
But before we get into the fun stuff, I'll give you a crash course in Finnish pronunciation. Since Finnish is entirely phonetic, once you know how the individual letters are pronounced you can pretty much say anything in it. The stress is always on the first syllable of the word.
So, the Finnish alphabet. I've left out letters that are pronounced like they are in English.
a - Short like u in cut, long like a in father
e - Short like e in pet, long like "ai" in "air"
h - Before a consonant, pronounced like the German "ch", but softer. H is never silent in Finnish. (Example: "Lehti (leaf/newspaper)" is pronounced "LEHH-ti", not "Leti")
i - Short like i in tip, long like i in machine
j - Like English y
k - Sort of like English, but without aspiration (see below)
o - Short like o in orange, long like "aw" in "yawn"
p - Like English, but without aspiration
r - Always rolled in Finnish
t - Like English, but without aspiration
u - Short like u in put, long like oo in food
v - Usually pronounced like in English, but some Finns pronounce it almost like a W. It is softer than it is in English.
w - Pronounced the same as v. Usually only used in loanwords and archaic spellings of words.
y - Like the "ue" in the French word "rue" or the German letter ü. Try saying "ee" while making your mouth round like an o.
ä - Like the "a" in the English phrase "I am".
ö - Like the "ea" in "early".
By now I'm sure you're wondering "What the hell is aspiration"? Well, in English, when we pronounce so-called "unvoiced" consonants like k, p and t, we make a puff of air as we do so. You usually don't notice, but try putting your hand in front of your mouth when saying how the letters sound and you'll feel the puff of air. In Finnish, the aspiration goes away, which means that to untrained ears the letters can sound like their voiced equivalents, g, b and d, when pronounced by a Finnish person.
Single and double consonants
In Finnish, a double letter indicates a "long" sound, while a single letter indicates a "short" sound. The difference between short and long sounds can change the meaning of a word entirely, so getting them right is important. For long consonants, the consonant needs to be "held" for a couple of seconds before releasing. For p versus pp, for instance, compare the p sounds in the English phrases "to part" and "top part". For tt, think of the English phrase "flat tyre" and so on.
Right, that's all the boring stuff done. Now let's get this party started!
FINNISH SWEAR WORDS (Or, How to Curse Like a True Finn)
Vittu - The ultimate swear word in Finnish, equivalent to the English "fuck" or "cunt" (in literal meaning as well as intensity). No word works better in Finnish for expressing your feelings, though it probably shouldn't be used in pleasant company. The adjective form "vitun" (cf. English "fucking") is common too. "Haista vittu" (lit. "Smell a cunt") is the Finnish equivalent of "Fuck off".
Paska - Literally "shit". A little more mild in Finnish than it is in English, but still not recommended to use in polite company. "Tämä on paska" (This is shit) is a good way to express disappointment, etc. "Haista paska" is another way of saying "Fuck off" that isn't quite as strong as "Haista vittu". Of course, "vitun paska" (fucking shit) is another commonly-heard phrase.
Perkele - Equivalent to English "Goddammit". Perkele was originally the thunder god in Finnish pagan mythology, but nowadays is used as another name for the Devil in Judeo-Christian mythology. For maximum effect, really stress (and roll) the R when you pronounce it: "PERRRRR-ke-le". When referring to the Pagan god, it's recommended to use one of his other names, Ukko or Ylijumala.
Saatana - Literally "Satan", also more or less equivalent to "Goddammit", though not as strong as "Perkele".
Jumalauta - Yet ANOTHER equivalent of "Goddammit", this time with the literal meaning of "God damn". Milder than the previous two, could POSSIBLY be used in polite company in extreme circumstances.
Helvetti - Literally "hell". Usually used in its adjective form, "helvetin", as a mild intensifier. Equivalent to English "damn", as in "Tämä helvetin tietokone ei toimii" - "This damn computer isn't working".
Finns will often use the English words "fuck" and "shit", as well as the German word "Scheiße", when they want to swear without sounding like they're swearing.
This time I thought I'd make something for you guys to not read that would be both fun and educational. A list of useful Finnish phrases, in case you ever decide to visit me!
And yes, this means I'm going to teach you how to swear in Finnish. Swearing is an important part of the Finnish culture, and now you too can learn to do it.
But before we get into the fun stuff, I'll give you a crash course in Finnish pronunciation. Since Finnish is entirely phonetic, once you know how the individual letters are pronounced you can pretty much say anything in it. The stress is always on the first syllable of the word.
So, the Finnish alphabet. I've left out letters that are pronounced like they are in English.
a - Short like u in cut, long like a in father
e - Short like e in pet, long like "ai" in "air"
h - Before a consonant, pronounced like the German "ch", but softer. H is never silent in Finnish. (Example: "Lehti (leaf/newspaper)" is pronounced "LEHH-ti", not "Leti")
i - Short like i in tip, long like i in machine
j - Like English y
k - Sort of like English, but without aspiration (see below)
o - Short like o in orange, long like "aw" in "yawn"
p - Like English, but without aspiration
r - Always rolled in Finnish
t - Like English, but without aspiration
u - Short like u in put, long like oo in food
v - Usually pronounced like in English, but some Finns pronounce it almost like a W. It is softer than it is in English.
w - Pronounced the same as v. Usually only used in loanwords and archaic spellings of words.
y - Like the "ue" in the French word "rue" or the German letter ü. Try saying "ee" while making your mouth round like an o.
ä - Like the "a" in the English phrase "I am".
ö - Like the "ea" in "early".
By now I'm sure you're wondering "What the hell is aspiration"? Well, in English, when we pronounce so-called "unvoiced" consonants like k, p and t, we make a puff of air as we do so. You usually don't notice, but try putting your hand in front of your mouth when saying how the letters sound and you'll feel the puff of air. In Finnish, the aspiration goes away, which means that to untrained ears the letters can sound like their voiced equivalents, g, b and d, when pronounced by a Finnish person.
Single and double consonants
In Finnish, a double letter indicates a "long" sound, while a single letter indicates a "short" sound. The difference between short and long sounds can change the meaning of a word entirely, so getting them right is important. For long consonants, the consonant needs to be "held" for a couple of seconds before releasing. For p versus pp, for instance, compare the p sounds in the English phrases "to part" and "top part". For tt, think of the English phrase "flat tyre" and so on.
Right, that's all the boring stuff done. Now let's get this party started!
FINNISH SWEAR WORDS (Or, How to Curse Like a True Finn)
Vittu - The ultimate swear word in Finnish, equivalent to the English "fuck" or "cunt" (in literal meaning as well as intensity). No word works better in Finnish for expressing your feelings, though it probably shouldn't be used in pleasant company. The adjective form "vitun" (cf. English "fucking") is common too. "Haista vittu" (lit. "Smell a cunt") is the Finnish equivalent of "Fuck off".
Paska - Literally "shit". A little more mild in Finnish than it is in English, but still not recommended to use in polite company. "Tämä on paska" (This is shit) is a good way to express disappointment, etc. "Haista paska" is another way of saying "Fuck off" that isn't quite as strong as "Haista vittu". Of course, "vitun paska" (fucking shit) is another commonly-heard phrase.
Perkele - Equivalent to English "Goddammit". Perkele was originally the thunder god in Finnish pagan mythology, but nowadays is used as another name for the Devil in Judeo-Christian mythology. For maximum effect, really stress (and roll) the R when you pronounce it: "PERRRRR-ke-le". When referring to the Pagan god, it's recommended to use one of his other names, Ukko or Ylijumala.
Saatana - Literally "Satan", also more or less equivalent to "Goddammit", though not as strong as "Perkele".
Jumalauta - Yet ANOTHER equivalent of "Goddammit", this time with the literal meaning of "God damn". Milder than the previous two, could POSSIBLY be used in polite company in extreme circumstances.
Helvetti - Literally "hell". Usually used in its adjective form, "helvetin", as a mild intensifier. Equivalent to English "damn", as in "Tämä helvetin tietokone ei toimii" - "This damn computer isn't working".
Finns will often use the English words "fuck" and "shit", as well as the German word "Scheiße", when they want to swear without sounding like they're swearing.
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