Minulle kuuluu hyvää
Minulle kuuluu hyvää is the Finnish way to say "I am fine".
Minulle kuuluu hyvää is a standard, polite response used to say that you are doing well when someone asks you Mitä kuuluu? (How are you?). Other ways to express similar sentiments include Hyvin menee, which can mean "I am fine" or "Everything is going well," and the colloquial Mä oon ihan jees, which means "I'm okay."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase Minulle kuuluu hyvää literally translates to "To me belongs good".
Which one should you use?
While the English phrase "I am fine" uses a subject and a verb (I am), the Finnish construction uses a dative-like structure where the person is the recipient of the state.
When do people say it?
When using Minulle kuuluu hyvää, a natural and polite way to follow up is to ask the other person how they are by saying Kiitos, entä sinulle? (Thanks and you?).
Did you know?
- While Minulle kuuluu hyvää is polite, Finns often answer the question Mitä kuuluu? with a brutally honest description of their problems instead of saying they are fine.
- If you use the colloquial Mä oon ihan jees, you are using a loanword from English. The word jees is a Finnish phonetic spelling of the English word 'yes', used here to mean 'okay' or 'fine'.
- The word kuuluu in this phrase also means 'to be heard' or 'to sound', which is why it is used to describe things that are audible.
Examples in context
- Minulle kuuluu hyvää, kiitos!I am fine, thank you.This sentence is useful for seeing how to express "I am fine" along with a thank you using Minulle kuuluu hyvää.Tatoeba #4394645 by Silja, translation #926934 by zvaigzne
- Minulle kuuluu hyvää.I am doing well.
- Kiitos, minulle kuuluu hyvää.Thanks, I am doing fine.
Example conversation
Mikko and Sofia meet at a cafe.
- MikkoHei Sofia, mitä kuuluu?Hi Sofia, how are you?
- SofiaMinulle kuuluu hyvää, entä sinulle?I am doing well, how about you?
- MikkoMinullakin kuuluu hyvää.I am doing well too.
- SofiaKiva kuulla!Nice to hear!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
