Say Hello and Introduce Your Name

Your First Finnish Conversation

Imagine you've just arrived in Finland.

You meet a new neighbour, a colleague, or someone at a social gathering. You want to say hello, introduce yourself, and ask their name.

You don't need to know complicated grammar to do that.

In this lesson, you'll learn your first Finnish conversation and practise making it your own.

What You'll Be Able to Do

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to:

• Greet someone naturally in Finnish.
• Tell someone your name.
• Ask another person their name.
• Respond when someone says it's nice to meet you.
• Recognize a few differences between standard and everyday spoken Finnish.

Your goal: Have a short introductory conversation without reading from the lesson.

1. Your First Finnish Words

Let's start with just two words.

Hello!

Hei!

Meaning: Hello!

This is one of the most useful Finnish greetings. You can use it with neighbours, colleagues, shop assistants, or people you're meeting for the first time.

Another common greeting is:

Moi!

Meaning: Hi!

This is friendly and informal. You'll hear it frequently in everyday Finnish.

Try It Yourself

Listen to both greetings and repeat each one three times.

Don't worry about perfect pronunciation yet. Focus on recognizing the sounds and saying the words comfortably.

Quick practice: Imagine meeting your neighbour in the hallway. Say hello in Finnish.

2. Tell Someone Your Name

Now let's learn how to introduce yourself.

Listen:

Minä olen Aino.

Meaning: I am Aino.

Let's understand the sentence.

Finnish	Meaning
Minä	I
olen	am
Aino	A person's name

Together, the words mean "I am Aino."

Here's another example:

Minä olen Omar.

Meaning: I am Omar.

A More Natural, Shorter Introduction

In Finnish, you don't always need to say the word meaning "I."

You can simply say:

Olen Aino.

Meaning: I'm Aino.

Both versions are correct.

In everyday introductions, the shorter version is especially useful.

Practise With Your Own Name

Follow this pattern:

Hei! Olen Aino.

Replace "Aino" with your own name.

Say your introduction aloud three times.

First slowly, then at a more natural speed.

Your challenge: Can you now introduce yourself without looking at the example?

3. Ask Someone Their Name

You've introduced yourself. Now you want to know the other person's name.

Listen to this question:

Mikä sinun nimesi on?

Meaning: What is your name?

Let's understand the important parts.

Finnish	Meaning
Mikä	What
sinun	Your
nimesi	Your name
on	Is

You don't need to memorize the grammar behind every word yet. For now, learn the full question as a useful expression.

Asking and Answering

Listen:

English:

• What is your name?
• My name is Aino.

Notice another useful expression:

Minun nimeni on Aino.

Meaning: My name is Aino.

You now know two ways to answer the same question:

Olen Aino.

Minun nimeni on Aino.

Both are correct. Use whichever feels easier for now.

Make It a Two-Way Conversation

There's also a useful expression:

Entä sinä?

Meaning: And you?

For example:

This is a simple way to keep a conversation going.

4. Say "Nice to Meet You"

When someone introduces themselves, you can respond politely.

Listen:

Hauska tutustua!

Meaning: Nice to meet you!

You can reply:

Samoin!

Meaning: Likewise! / Nice to meet you too!

Let's put these expressions together.

Practice: Repeat both expressions aloud. Imagine shaking hands with someone you've just met.

5. Your First Complete Conversation

You now have everything you need for a short introduction.

Listen to the Conversation

English Translation

Aino: Hello!

Omar: Hi!

Aino: I'm Aino. What is your name?

Omar: I'm Omar.

Aino: Nice to meet you!

Omar: Likewise!

Practise the Conversation

Round 1 — Listen

Listen to the entire conversation without repeating anything.

Round 2 — Repeat

Play the conversation again. Pause after each sentence and repeat it aloud.

Round 3 — Change the Names

Imagine you're one of the people in the conversation.

Use your own name instead of Aino or Omar.

Round 4 — Speak Without Reading

Look away from the lesson and try to introduce yourself, ask someone's name, and respond politely.

It's fine if you need several attempts. The goal is to retrieve the expressions from memory rather than simply recognize them.

6. How Finns Actually Speak

The Finnish you've learned so far is standard Finnish, called yleiskieli or kirjakieli depending on the context.

In everyday conversation, people often use more informal forms, known as puhekieli.

You don't need to master spoken Finnish today, but it's useful to recognize what you might hear.

Standard Finnish

Minä olen Aino.

Everyday Spoken Finnish

Mä oon Aino.

Both mean "I'm Aino."

Here's another comparison.

Standard Finnish:

Mikä sinun nimesi on?

Everyday spoken Finnish:

Mikä sun nimi on?

Both mean "What is your name?"

The spoken forms shown here are common informal variants. You'll encounter other variations as you continue learning.

A Natural Informal Conversation

You don't have to memorize both versions immediately.

For now, practise speaking with the standard forms and recognizing the informal ones when listening.

We'll continue introducing spoken Finnish alongside standard Finnish throughout the course.

7. Pronunciation Practice

Finnish spelling is relatively consistent, but pronunciation matters.

In this first lesson, focus on three habits.

Listen to Complete Words

Start with these greetings:

Repeat each one naturally instead of trying to pronounce every letter separately.

Notice the Finnish Ä Sound

Listen:

Minä

The letter ä represents a different vowel sound from a in Finnish.

Listen carefully and try to reproduce the difference rather than replacing ä with an ordinary English vowel.

You'll practise this distinction more in the upcoming pronunciation activities.

Listen for Word Stress

Finnish words generally have their primary stress on the first syllable.

Listen:

Repeat each word.

Don't exaggerate the stress. Aim for a natural rhythm.

We'll work on vowel length, double consonants, and more pronunciation patterns progressively through the course.

8. Check Your Understanding

Try these exercises without reviewing the earlier sections.

Exercise 1 — Choose the Correct Meaning

What does this mean?

Hei!

A. Goodbye

B. Hello

C. Thank you

Exercise 2 — Understand the Question

Listen:

Mikä sinun nimesi on?

What is the speaker asking?

A. Where do you live?

B. How are you?

C. What is your name?

Exercise 3 — Complete the Sentence

Fill in the missing word.

Minä _____ Aino.

A. on

B. olen

C. sinun

Exercise 4 — Respond Naturally

Someone says:

Hauska tutustua!

Which is the best response?

A. Samoin!

B. Mikä?

C. Olen.

Exercise 5 — Build Your Own Introduction

Without copying the example, write three short Finnish sentences:

1. Say hello.
2. Say your name.
3. Ask the other person's name.

Read your sentences aloud.

9. Your Real-Life Mission

Mission: Meet Someone New

Imagine you're attending your first Finnish language meetup.

Another learner approaches you.

Your task is to:

1. Say hello in Finnish.
2. Introduce yourself.
3. Ask their name.
4. Respond when they introduce themselves.
5. Say it's nice to meet them.

Start by listening to this example once more:

Now try the conversation using your own name.

Challenge level 1: Speak while looking at the example.

Challenge level 2: Speak using only the five mission steps above.

Challenge level 3: Complete the conversation from memory, then try the same interaction with another person.

You don't have to speak quickly. Being understood matters much more than speed.

10. Review and Remember

Here are the essential expressions from today's lesson.

Expression	Meaning
Hei!	Hello!
Moi!	Hi!
Minä olen Aino.	I am Aino.
Olen Aino.	I'm Aino.
Mikä sinun nimesi on?	What is your name?
Minun nimeni on Aino.	My name is Aino.
Entä sinä?	And you?
Hauska tutustua!	Nice to meet you!
Samoin!	Likewise!

Final Listening Review

Listen once, then try saying the expressions without reading them.

Exercise Answers

• Exercise 1: B — Hello
• Exercise 2: C — What is your name?
• Exercise 3: B — olen
• Exercise 4: A — Samoin!
• Exercise 5: Your answer should contain an appropriate greeting, an introduction using your name, and a question asking the other person's name.

Can You Do These Things?

Before moving on, check whether you can:

• Greet someone in Finnish.
• Introduce yourself using your own name.
• Ask someone their name.
• Understand a simple introduction when spoken slowly.
• Respond politely after meeting someone.
• Recognize an informal spoken introduction.

If some expressions still feel unfamiliar, replay the audio and practise the conversation again.

What You've Achieved

You've completed your first step toward speaking Finnish.

You can now participate in a very simple introductory conversation, using memorized expressions and familiar sentence patterns.

This is an early building block of CEFR A1 communication. As you progress, you'll learn to ask more questions, understand different responses, and construct sentences independently.