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How to say "do you speak English?" in Finnish
Puhutko englantia? means "Do you speak English?". To a stranger or an older person, the polite form is Puhutteko englantia?
Useful phrases
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| Puhutko englantia? | Do you speak English? (informal) |
| Puhutteko englantia? | Do you speak English? (formal or plural) |
| Puhun vähän suomea. | I speak a little Finnish. |
| Voisitko puhua hitaammin? | Could you speak more slowly? |
| Voisitko sanoa uudelleen? | Could you say that again? |
How the question is built
Yes/no questions in Finnish put the verb first and add the ending -ko (or -kö when the word has front vowels such as ä, ö and y, following vowel harmony). Sinä puhut englantia ("you speak English") becomes Puhutko englantia? Notice that englantia is in the partitive case, the form Finnish uses for languages after the verb puhua.
The same trick works for other verbs: Tiedätkö? ("Do you know?"), Haluatko kahvia? ("Do you want coffee?").
Example sentences
- Puhutko englantia?Do you speak English?
- Puhun vähän suomea.I speak a little Finnish.
- Voisitko puhua hitaammin?Could you speak more slowly?
- Haluatko kahvia?Do you want some coffee?
Common questions
How do you ask "do you speak English?" in Finnish?
Puhutko englantia? Use puhutteko englantia? to be formal.
What does the -ko ending do in Finnish?
It turns a statement into a yes/no question and attaches to the verb, which moves to the start: puhut becomes puhutko.
Related words
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