päivällinen
/ˈpæi̯ʋælːinen/
The Finnish word for dinner is päivällinen. If unsure, use päivällinen. Wiktionary also lists illallinen.
Meaning: evening meal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Finnish | IPA |
|---|---|
| päivällinen | /ˈpæi̯ʋælːinen/ |
| illallinen | /ˈilːɑlːinen/ |
In Finnish, there are two main ways to refer to an evening meal depending on the setting and the scale of the meal.
Which one should you use?
Use päivällinen to refer to the standard evening meal. Use illallinen to refer to a formal dinner, a banquet or a special celebratory meal.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are expressing the action of eating dinner, such as with the verb syödä (to eat), the word päivällinen often changes to its partitive form, päivällistä. If you are using the word illallinen to show possession or as the object of certain verbs like valmistaa (to prepare), you may use the genitive form illallisen.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈpæi̯ʋælːinen/
Did you know?
- In some Finnish households, päivällinen is eaten as early as 2 PM or 4 PM, making it a hybrid between lunch and dinner.
- The word päivällinen literally contains the word for 'day', making its literal translation 'day-related thing'.
- If a Finn invites you to illallinen, it is a strong signal that you should dress up, as this word is rarely used for casual weekday meals.
Examples in context
- Maria nolostutti hänen valmistamansa kehno illallinen.Mary was embarrassed by her badly cooked dinner.This sentence shows how to use the form illallinen as an object of a verb.Tatoeba #3774613 by Sanaseppo, translation #3773389 by DostKaplan
- "Kuinka pian illallinen on?" "Viiden minuutin päästä.""How long till dinner?" "Five minutes."This example shows a dialogue using the form illallinen to ask about timing.Tatoeba #7033910 by Thanuir, translation #2146545 by galoosh33
- Syödään päivällinen ennen kuin menemme baseball-peliin.Let's have dinner before we go to the baseball game.This sentence demonstrates the use of the form päivällinen in a daily context.Tatoeba #3077168 by Kalle63, translation #324067 by CM
- Hän pitää päivällisestä, jota äiti tekee joka päivä.He enjoys the dinner that mom makes every day.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Antti and Laura are planning their evening at home.
- AnttiMilloin syödään päivällinen?When do we eat dinner?
- LauraSyödään heti, kun ruoka on valmista.We'll eat as soon as the food is ready.
- AnttiMitä meillä on päivälliseksi?What do we have for dinner?
- LauraTänään me syömme kalaa ja perunaa.Today we are having fish and potatoes.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dinner” translations and entries päivällinen, illallinen, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries illallinen, päivällinen, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
