Please help! I need to speak Finnish in a week!!!

[bigandclever]

Obviously, the *best* topic for a car forum. Anyway...

I have a natural affinity for languages other than English... in that if I SHOUT it makes so much more sense to Johnny Foreigner. Obviously. Coincidentally I've been seeing a Finnish lovely and it's been deemed a long enough relationship / "FFS I've met yours"TM, so I'm off to visit the new outlaws on their home turf in a couple of weeks.

I need some key phrases to use that wlll get me through the weekend. I'm not an utter twonk so I've got the 'hello', 'goodbye', 'thankyou', 'i like your reindeer', '1 / 2/ 10 / 20 beer' but that is it.

And I KNOW there are Finnish PHers so I'll be finding you if you don't help.

For those who don't care, the word for cucumber and throat is the same in Finnish (kurkku)- I have no idea what that means about the nation.

But please, help. I'll post the resultant newspaper articles.

[Asterix]

All I can gather from Finns is that you fix them with a steely look and then speak at a constant tempo, non stop for ten minutes without your voice changing in pitch more than a semi-tone the whole time.

Don't you dare smile until right at the end - this signifies that there may have been something humorous in the last ten minutes.

[LeeME3]

Well we're working on the Jet Provost wing removal issue (see another thread) so I'm sure someone on here will be along shortly to help!

Meanwhile: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yourself-Finnish-Complete-...

[bigandclever]

LeeME3 said:

a sensible suggestion

Countered by... Don't start. I've got that book. It makes NO sense.

Apart from 'hirvivaara tai porovaara'

What?!? Oh, reindeer in the road, watch out

[Dr John]

The sooner you start the sooner you'll be.....

(Sorry just couldn't help myself)

[ozzerr]

your fecked.

[Poledriver]

My Mother is Finnish and I have visited many times. Have only picked up a few words, but that is mainly because the vast majority of Finns speak very good English. Don't worry about communicating, you won't have any problems!

[trooperiziz]

Poledriver said:

Don't worry about communicating, you won't have any problems!

Just point to your GF, make the jiggy mime and wink.

[Ordinary Bloke]

ozzerr said:

your fecked.

+1

The language is related to Mongolian and Korean, do you speak either of them?

[Mobile Chicane]

Ordinary Bloke said:

ozzerr said:

your fecked.

+1

The language is related to Mongolian and Korean, do you speak either of them?

No it isn't. It's a member of the Finno-Ugric group of languages, the others being Hungarian and Estonian. (All impenetrable.)

[Ordinary Bloke]

Mobile Chicane said:

Ordinary Bloke said:

ozzerr said:

your fecked.

+1

The language is related to Mongolian and Korean, do you speak either of them?

No it isn't. It's a member of the Finno-Ugric group of languages, the others being Hungarian and Estonian. (All impenetrable.)

My Korean friend says he can roughly understand Finnish. A Finnish customer of mine told me they came from Korea across Mongolia, the intelligent ones turned south into Hungary, while the others ended up in Finland. I still remember how I laughed (very early in the morning, in a bar in Helsinki, surrounded by BEAUTIFUL young finnish girls, 2 metres of snow outside, vast amounts of alcohol involved). But I could have imagined it...

[neilr]

"Teravey" is hello.

"Moy Moy" is goodbye.

uxi , caxi, colamay, nilya, vichi, is 1,2,3,4,5.

(all of this is spelt phonetically btw)

I used to work with a finnish guy a few years ago, thats all i can remember! Wont help you if your lost in the ice though!

[Hedders]

mickken said:

No chance.......I pick up languages relatively easily, buy everytime someone used to put my Nokia on Finnish, it fked me up good and proper!

You mean that has happened more than once?

[Famous Graham]

Ordinary Bloke said:

Mobile Chicane said:

Ordinary Bloke said:

ozzerr said:

your fecked.

+1

The language is related to Mongolian and Korean, do you speak either of them?

No it isn't. It's a member of the Finno-Ugric group of languages, the others being Hungarian and Estonian. (All impenetrable.)

My Korean friend says he can roughly understand Finnish. A Finnish customer of mine told me they came from Korea across Mongolia, the intelligent ones turned south into Hungary, while the others ended up in Finland. I still remember how I laughed (very early in the morning, in a bar in Helsinki, surrounded by BEAUTIFUL young finnish girls, 2 metres of snow outside, vast amounts of alcohol involved). But I could have imagined it...

It's the Ural-Altaic family (Finno-Ugric is a part of it)

[BJG1]

Did anyone see the tv programme a few years ago where they had a real life rain man who learned to speak it fluently in a week?

[ypauly]

why would any sane man want to understand his inlaws?
shirly thats asking for trouble

[XJSJohn]

Ordinary Bloke said:

ozzerr said:

your fecked.

+1

The language is related to Mongolian and Korean, do you speak either of them?

more like Martian!!!

Just bring gifts of Whisky and you will be well away!! (they already have loads of Vodka)

[Stang]

Google is your friend. Go to the languages and type in some common phrases to start you off.

Start with this.....


Will en tee suurta miehensä teidän tytär. Aion ostaa suurimman timantin joka hänen.

That should get you in the good books.

[Pigeon]

Mobile Chicane said:

No it isn't. It's a member of the Finno-Ugric group of languages, the others being Hungarian and Estonian. (All impenetrable.)

I wish it was more feasible to use the word "Ugric" in general conversation. It's a brilliant word. Perhaps I should try and popularise a new definition for it that would allow its frequent use.

[Neil_H]

Just make lots of gags about being 'Finnished off' by your missus, they will love it.