Puhutko englantia?
The Finnish phrase for "do you speak English?" is Puhutko englantia?
This phrase is used to ask if someone has the ability to communicate in the English language.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is built from Puhut, which is the second-person singular form of the verb meaning "you speak" and englantia, which is the partitive case of englanti (English).
Which one should you use?
Puhutko englantia? is the informal way to ask the question. In contrast, Puhutteko englantia? is used for the plural or polite form.
How does it change in a sentence?
The suffix -ko is an interrogative particle added to the verb to turn a statement into a yes/no question. Additionally, the word englantia is in the partitive case because the verb puhua requires the partitive case when referring to a language being spoken.
When do people say it?
When someone asks you this question, a common way to answer "Yes" is Kyllä.
Did you know?
- Finnish belongs to the Uralic language family, meaning it is not related to English, Swedish or any other Indo-European language.
- English is the most studied foreign language in Finland, and a huge majority of Finns speak it fluently. Asking Puhutko englantia? is often seen as a formality because the answer is almost always yes.
- While Kyllä means 'yes', Finns often answer Puhun ('I speak') when asked Puhutko englantia? This repeats the verb used in the question to confirm the action.
Examples in context
- Anteeksi, puhutko englantia?Excuse me, do you speak English?
Example conversation
Juho meets Laura at a tourist information center.
- JuhoHei! Puhutko englantia?Hi! Do you speak English?
- LauraKyllä, puhun.Yes, I do.
- JuhoHienoa, voimmeko puhua englanniksi?Great, can we speak in English?
- LauraTotta kai, Laura auttaa mielellään.Of course, Laura is happy to help.
