Nouns tell you what things are called. Verbs let you actually do something with them. Learn kahvi and you can point at coffee; learn haluan and you can order one.
This is the list of the 100 verbs that come up most in real Finnish — grouped by topic so you can learn them in useful batches rather than alphabetically. Every one is given in the dictionary form (the one you'd look up), and at the end there's a short table of the same verbs already turned into "I want," "I need," "I'd like," so you can start speaking before you've learned any conjugation at all.
If you only learn twenty verbs, learn these.
The 20 Essentials
to be
olla
to do, to make
tehdä
to go
mennä
to come
tulla
to want
haluta
to be able to, can
voida
to have to, must
täytyä
to know (a fact)
tietää
to say
sanoa
to speak
puhua
to see
nähdä
to hear
kuulla
to give
antaa
to take
ottaa
to get, to receive
saada
to think
ajatella
to understand
ymmärtää
to like
pitää
to need
tarvita
to help
auttaa
Practice these words
olla
Quick notes:
- Olla is the big one — it's "to be" and it gets its own lesson.
- Pitää means both "to like" and "to have to," depending on how it's used. Context makes it obvious.
- Finnish has no verb for "to have." Ownership uses a different construction entirely.
Movement and Travel
to walk
kävellä
to run
juosta
to drive
ajaa
to travel
matkustaa
to arrive
saapua
to leave, to depart
lähteä
to return
palata
to stop
pysähtyä
to turn
kääntyä
to follow
seurata
to wait
odottaa
to visit, to drop by
käydä
to stay
jäädä
to fly
lentää
Practice these words
kävellä
Quick note: käydä is a small Finnish treasure — it covers popping into a shop, visiting a country and going to the doctor. Käyn kaupassa is "I'll pop to the shop."
Talking, Thinking and Learning
to ask
kysyä
to answer
vastata
to tell
kertoa
to read
lukea
to write
kirjoittaa
to learn
oppia
to teach
opettaa
to study
opiskella
to remember
muistaa
to forget
unohtaa
to explain
selittää
to mean
tarkoittaa
to call (on the phone)
soittaa
to translate
kääntää
to believe
uskoa
to decide
päättää
Practice these words
kysyä
Quick note: soittaa means both "to call someone" and "to play an instrument." Soitan sinulle is "I'll call you"; soitan pianoa is "I play the piano."
Everyday Life
to eat
syödä
to drink
juoda
to sleep
nukkua
to wake up
herätä
to live, to reside
asua
to work
työskennellä
to buy
ostaa
to sell
myydä
to pay
maksaa
to order
tilata
to cook
kokata
to wash
pestä
to clean
siivota
to open
avata
to close
sulkea
to start
aloittaa
to finish
lopettaa
to use
käyttää
to put
laittaa
to get dressed
pukeutua
Practice these words
syödä
Quick note: maksaa is both "to pay" and "to cost" — maksan is "I pay," se maksaa is "it costs." One word, two of the most useful sentences in any shop.
Feelings and People
to love
rakastaa
to hate
vihata
to laugh
nauraa
to cry
itkeä
to smile
hymyillä
to hope
toivoa
to feel
tuntea
to enjoy
nauttia
to thank
kiittää
to apologise
pyytää anteeksi
to meet
tavata
to invite
kutsua
to chat
jutella
to miss (someone)
kaivata
to be afraid
pelätä
Practice these words
rakastaa
Quick note: tuntea means both "to feel" and "to know a person." Tunnen hänet is "I know him"; tunnen oloni hyväksi is "I feel good."
More Useful Verbs
to look, to watch
katsoa
to show
näyttää
to find
löytää
to search for
etsiä
to lose
hukata
to bring
tuoda
to send
lähettää
to choose
valita
to change
muuttaa
to play (a game)
pelata
to sing
laulaa
to swim
uida
to ski
hiihtää
to happen
tapahtua
to sit
istua
Practice these words
katsoa
The verbs above are dictionary forms. To actually use them, you need the "I" version — and these are the ones worth memorising as complete phrases before you learn any rule.
Say It Now: The 'I' Forms
I'd like…
Haluaisin…
I want…
Haluan…
I need…
Tarvitsen…
I can / I'm able to
Voin…
I have to
Minun täytyy…
I know
Tiedän
I don't know
En tiedä
I understand
Ymmärrän
I don't understand
En ymmärrä
I speak (a little) Finnish
Puhun vähän suomea
I like it
Pidän siitä
I'm going
Menen
I'll take it
Otan sen
I'll pay
Maksan
Practice these words
Haluaisin…
Quick notes:
- Haluaisin ("I'd like") is the polite version of haluan ("I want") and it's the single most useful word in this lesson. Use it for ordering, asking and requesting anything.
- Notice the -n on the end of every one: haluan, tarvitsen, puhun, menen, otan, maksan. That final -n is Finnish for "I." Once you spot it, you'll recognise it everywhere.
- You don't need the word minä ("I"). The -n already said it.
What to Know About Finnish Verbs
The first useful pattern is that little -n. Finnish marks the person on the end of the verb, so puhun is "I speak," puhut is "you speak," puhuu is "he or she speaks." That means the pronoun is optional — Finns say puhun suomea, not minä puhun suomea, unless they're emphasising the "I." Learning to hear the final consonant tells you who's doing something even when you've missed the rest of the sentence.
The second is that Finnish verbs change shape more than English ones, and the dictionary form isn't always what you'll hear. Tietää ("to know") turns up as tiedän, tiedät, tietää, tiesin. This is where Finnish earns its difficult reputation, and it's also where a phrasebook approach beats a grammar book: you don't need the rules to use the language. Learn en tiedä as one unit meaning "I don't know," and you can say it correctly for years before you find out why the t became a d.
The third is the shortcut that saves the most effort. Put haluaisin ("I'd like") in front of any noun and you have a complete, polite Finnish sentence — haluaisin kahvin, haluaisin pöydän kahdelle, haluaisin lipun Helsinkiin. One word does the work of an entire lesson on requests, and Finns hear it as courteous rather than demanding. If you take one thing from this page, take that.
Next lesson: Finnish greetings and goodbyes — hei, moi, näkemiin and the phrases that go with them.