suokaa anteeksi
suokaa anteeksi is the Finnish way to say excuse me.
The phrase is used to apologize. While it is a valid way to express this, it is reserved for more formal or highly polite contexts.
Meaning: sorry, as apology (noun)
Which one should you use?
The single word anteeksi is the much more common, everyday way to say excuse me or sorry in Finnish. In contrast, suokaa anteeksi is a more formal version. For even less formal situations, you can use Anteeks, which is a shortened version of anteeksi.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Sori is used as a casual alternative to excuse me in parts of Western Finland, particularly the Turku area.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form suokaa in suokaa anteeksi is the second-person plural imperative, making this a polite or formal way to say excuse me.
Did you know?
- The word anteeksi is actually a noun meaning 'a gift' or 'a grant' in an archaic sense. To say 'excuse me' is etymologically to ask someone to 'grant a gift' of forgiveness.
- If you use the formal suokaa anteeksi in a casual setting like a pub or a grocery store, you might sound like a character from a 19th-century novel. It is so formal that it can feel performative or even ironic in modern daily life.
- The formal structure of suokaa anteeksi uses the plural imperative, which historically addressed a group or a person of high status. In modern Finnish, this serves as a 'polite plural' to show respect to any individual.
Examples in context
- Suokaa anteeksi. Minun täytyy puuteroida nenänpäätäni.Excuse me. I must use the powder room.This sentence demonstrates the use of suokaa anteeksi when needing to excuse oneself.Tatoeba #3776099 by Silja, translation #3774794 by Hybrid
Example conversation
Sofia accidentally bumps into Matti at a store.
- SofiaSuokaa anteeksi, Matti, törmäsin teihin.Please excuse me, Matti, I bumped into you.
- MattiEi se mitään, Sofia.It is nothing, Sofia.
- SofiaOletteko kunnossa?Are you okay?
- MattiKyllä, kaikki on hyvin.Yes, everything is fine.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “excuse me” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries anteeksi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
