Finnish Gender

Welcome to the fifth Finnish lesson about gender. This time we will view a list of people, feminine and masculine, followed by grammar rules, finally a list of expressions in Finnish to help you practice your daily phrases.

man mies

woman nainen

husband mies

wife vaimo

boy poika

girl tyttö

father isä

mother äiti

Gender Grammar Rules

In general, gender is used to distinguish between male and female, sometimes referred to as masculine and feminine. For example: my son and daughter are students the noun [son] is masculine, while [daughter] is feminine. The following examples use gender in different ways and places to demonstrate their behavior.

Grammar + Rules - Finnish
my son is a student [masculine + noun] poikani on opiskelija
her daughter is a student [feminine + noun] hänen tyttärensä on opiskelija
he has a tall brother [adjective + masculine] hänellä on pitkä veli
she has a tall sister [adjective + feminine] hänellä on pitkä sisko
his brothers are young [plural masculine + adjective] hänen veljensä ovat nuoria
his sisters are young [plural feminine + adjective] hänen sisarensa ovat nuoria

The list below will probably provide more clarification. These are family members (males and females). I think it would be wise to memorize them as part of your important vocabulary list.

son poika

daughter tytär

brother veli

sister sisko

grandfather isoisä

grandmother isoäiti

child lapsi

children lapset

Expressions in Finnish

Now it's time to practice expressions used in daily conversations. If you're a beginner in learning Finnish, then the phrases below are something you would want to know.

English - Finnish
What do you mean? mitä tarkoitat?
I don't understand en ymmärrä
I don't know en tiedä
What is that called in Finnish? miksi tätä kutsutaan suomeksi?
What is this? mikä tämä on?
What does that word mean in English? mitä tämä sana tarkoittaa englanniksi?
Sorry (if you made a mistake) anteeksi

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