mene kanssani naimisiin
The English phrase 'marry me' can be translated into Finnish as mene kanssani naimisiin.
Mene kanssani naimisiin is the standard way to phrase a marriage proposal in Finnish, rather than using a direct object construction like in English.
Meaning: marriage proposal from a man to a woman (the shortest form) (phrase)
Which one should you use?
While mene kanssani naimisiin is the standard proposal, you may encounter the informal Mennäänkö naimisiin?, which translates to 'Shall we get married?'
Did you know?
- The word naimisiin acts as a destination in this sentence, treating the state of marriage as a place one 'goes' to.
- Finnish has a specific word avioliitto for the legal institution of marriage, but the proposal uses naimisiin because the former is far too clinical for a romantic gesture.
- In the phrase mene kanssani naimisiin, the verb mene is in the imperative mood, which can sound like a command to a stranger if the romantic context is missing.
Example conversation
Matti proposes to Anna during a romantic dinner.
- MattiAnna, mene kanssani naimisiin.Anna, marry me.
- AnnaKyllä, haluan!Yes, I want to!
- MattiOlen niin onnellinen.I am so happy.
- AnnaMinäkin olen onnellinen, Matti.I am happy too, Matti.
