The Finnish you study in textbooks isn’t really like the language you hear on the street.

You might spend weeks learning to say “Minä olen kotoisin…” (I’m from…), only to arrive in Helsinki and hear someone say “Mä oon…“.

Why is Finnish so different when spoken?

Finnish has two distinct forms:

1. Kirjakieli (Book language): The standard, written form.
2. Puhekieli (Spoken language): The colloquial form used in daily conversation.

The gap between these two is much wider than in English or Spanish.

In fact, if you speak perfect kirjakieli in a casual setting, you might sound overly formal, like a walking news broadcast.

The rules for spoken Finnish are actually quite logical once you get used to them.

Keep reading and I’ll explain exactly how to navigate this challenge.

The Main Differences: Pronouns

The first and most obvious change happens with pronouns (words like I, you, he, she).

In standard written Finnish, you use words like minä and sinä. In spoken Finnish, these almost always get shortened to mä and sä.

However, the biggest cultural shift happens with “he” and “she”.

In school, you learn that hän is for people and se is for animals or things. But in spoken Finnish, se (it) is commonly used for people, too! It isn’t considered rude; it’s just how we speak.

Here is a table showing the differences:

Here is how that sounds in a real sentence:

Verb Changes: “To Be” and Shortening

Because pronouns change, the verbs often change with them. The most common verb, olla (to be), gets shortened in the spoken language.

We tend to drop letters to make speaking faster.

• Minä olen (I am) becomes Mä oon.
• Sinä olet (You are) becomes Sä oot.
• Hän on (He is) becomes Se on.

General Shortening Rules

Beyond just the verb “to be”, spoken Finnish loves to chop off the ends of words. This is very common with numbers and case endings.

1. Dropping the final -i

Many words ending in -i lose that letter or the vowel changes.

• Anteeksi (Sorry) → Anteeks
• Yksi (One) → Yks
• Viisi (Five) → Viis

2. Dropping the final -a/-ä

In case endings, the final vowel often disappears.

• Mutta (But) → Mut
• Minulla on… (I have…) → Mulla on…

Common Grammar Changes

There are two major grammar rules that change completely when we switch from writing to speaking.

If you can master these two, you will immediately sound more like a local.

1. The “Me” Form (First Person Plural)

In written Finnish, we say me menemme (we go). In spoken Finnish, we actually use the passive form of the verb to say what “we” are doing.

• Written: Me menemme

• Spoken: Me mennään

• Written: Me opiskelemme (We study)

• Spoken: Me opiskellaan

2. The “They” Form (Third Person Plural)

In written Finnish, the verb must match “they” (plural).

• He puhuvat (They speak).

In spoken Finnish, we use the pronoun ne (they/those) combined with the singular form of the verb.

• Written: He puhuvat

• Spoken: Ne puhuu

• Written: He tulevat (They come/are coming)

• Spoken: Ne tulee

This makes learning easier, because you don’t have to memorize the complex third-person plural endings!

Vocabulary Swaps

Sometimes, the words just change completely. This happens mostly with very common everyday words.

If you use the book words, you will be understood, but using the spoken versions helps you understand the flow of conversation.

Regional Dialects

It is important to remember that spoken Finnish isn’t exactly the same everywhere.

While standard spoken Finnish (mostly based on the Helsinki area speech) is understood everywhere, Finland has rich “murteet” (dialects).

• Helsinki (Stadin slangi): Uses words borrowed from Swedish and English. Fast-paced.
• Turku (South-West): Often cuts words even shorter and sounds distinctive to Finnish ears.
• Savo (Eastern): Famous for being “twisty.” There is a joke that when a Savo person speaks, the responsibility for understanding shifts to the listener! They often insert vowels into words.
• Oulu/North: Can sound more direct.

However, as a beginner, you do not need to worry about picking a dialect yet. If you stick to the general spoken forms (like mä/sä and passive verbs for me), you will be fine anywhere in the country.

Which one should you learn first?

This is the most common question I get at Talk In Finnish.

Should I ignore grammar books and just learn to speak?

My advice is: Learn both, but know when to use them.

You generally need to understand the kirjakieli (written) rules to understand the logic of the language.

It forms the foundation.

If you try to learn spoken Finnish without knowing the basics of how words change, you will get very confused.

Here’s my recommended strategy:

1. Study the basics in written form to understand verb conjugation and case endings.
2. Immediately apply the “Mä/Sä” pronouns and the “Olla” (to be) verb shortenings when practicing speaking.
3. Listen to podcasts or videos to get used to the rhythm of puhekieli.
4. Don’t stress about perfection. Finns are very happy that you are learning their language. If you say “Minä olen” instead of “Mä oon”, they will still understand you perfectly and appreciate the effort.

Finnish people switch between these modes naturally.

We write emails in a mix of both, formal documents in kirjakieli, and text messages in heavy puhekieli.