Finnish shops are quiet places. Nobody will greet you at the door, offer help, or ask how your day is going — and none of that is unfriendliness. You browse undisturbed, and when you want something you ask. This lesson gives you the sentences for the asking.
There are really only four you must have: paljonko tämä maksaa? (how much is this?), onko teillä…? (do you have…?), otan tämän (I'll take this), and kiitos. Everything else on this page fills in the gaps around those. All four are built on things you have already met: onko teillä, tämä and kiitos.
The Four Essentials
How much is this?
Paljonko tämä maksaa?
Do you have…?
Onko teillä…?
I'll take this.
Otan tämän.
Thank you.
Kiitos.
Practice these words
Paljonko tämä maksaa?
Asking and Looking
Excuse me
Anteeksi
I'm looking for…
Etsin…
I'm just looking.
Katselen vain.
Can you help me?
Voitko auttaa?
Where is…?
Missä on…?
Do you have this in blue?
Onko tätä sinisenä?
Can I try it on?
Voinko sovittaa?
It's too big.
Se on liian iso.
It's too small.
Se on liian pieni.
Do you have a bigger size?
Onko isompaa kokoa?
I'll think about it.
Mietin vielä.
Practice these words
Anteeksi
Quick note: katselen vain ("I'm just looking") is useful but rarely needed — Finnish shop staff won't approach you in the first place. Say it if someone does ask.
Prices and Money
How much does it cost?
Paljonko se maksaa?
How much altogether?
Paljonko yhteensä?
It's expensive.
Se on kallis.
It's cheap.
Se on halpa.
euro
euro
cent
sentti
discount
alennus
sale
ale
Is it on offer?
Onko se tarjouksessa?
a kilo of…
kilo…
half a kilo
puoli kiloa
a piece
kappale
Practice these words
Paljonko se maksaa?
Quick note: ale and tarjous are the two words on every Finnish sale sign. Ale is the season-wide sale; tarjous is a single offer on one product. Halpa and kallis are in the adjectives lesson.
Paying
Can I pay by card?
Voinko maksaa kortilla?
cash
käteinen
card
kortti
receipt
kuitti
Where's the checkout?
Missä on kassa?
Do you have a bag?
Onko teillä kassia?
Anything else?
Saako olla muuta?
No thanks, that's all.
Ei kiitos, siinä kaikki.
Do you have a loyalty card?
Onko kanta-asiakaskorttia?
What time do you close?
Mihin aikaan suljette?
Practice these words
Voinko maksaa kortilla?
Quick notes:
- Saako olla muuta? is what the cashier says to you at a counter. Recognising it matters more than being able to say it.
- Onko kanta-asiakaskorttia? is the other one you'll hear at every till. The answer is ei ole ("I don't have one"). Ei ole comes from the negative verb.
- Bags cost extra and are never automatic. Kassi is a carrier bag, pussi a smaller plastic one.
Shops and Places
shop
kauppa
supermarket
ruokakauppa
shopping centre
kauppakeskus
market square
tori
market hall
kauppahalli
bakery
leipomo
pharmacy
apteekki
kiosk
kioski
flea market
kirpputori
open
auki
closed
kiinni
Practice these words
kauppa
Quick note: kirpputori — literally "flea square" — is a Finnish institution. Second-hand shops are everywhere, well organised, and used by everyone rather than being a last resort.
What to Know About Shopping in Finland
Finland is close to cashless, and this changes what you actually need. Cards work everywhere — market stalls, kiosks, buses, flea markets — and contactless is the default. You can spend a fortnight in Finland without touching a euro note, and some smaller places no longer accept cash at all. Learn voinko maksaa kortilla? and you'll rarely need the rest of the money vocabulary. The rest of the money vocabulary is in money and banking.
The second thing to know is Alko. Anything stronger than about 5.5% alcohol — wine, spirits, strong beer — is sold only through Alko, the state-owned chain, which closes early and doesn't open on Sundays. Supermarkets carry beer and cider up to that limit and stop selling alcohol at 21:00. This catches visitors out constantly, and no amount of Finnish will help at 21:15.
Third, the loyalty card question is not small talk. Finnish retail is dominated by two groups, S-ryhmä and K-ryhmä, and their cards (S-Etukortti and K-Plussa) give discounts substantial enough that nearly everyone carries one. That's why you'll be asked at every single till. Ei ole — "I don't have one" — is a complete and perfectly polite answer, and you'll be saying it a lot.