How to Say "The" in Finnish - How To Say Guide

/ˈse/

The Finnish way to say "the" is se.

In spoken Finnish, the pronoun se (it) is frequently used as a definite article to mean 'the' when referring to a specific object.

Meaning: article (article)

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

The form se is colloquial. An informal and colloquial way of saying 'the' in Finnish is to use 'se'.

When the word se functions as 'the' or 'it' and is the object of a partitive verb or follows a preposition, it changes to the form sitä.

The pronunciation is /ˈse/.

The word se can function as a 'topic marker'. Placing it at the beginning of a sentence identifies the subject of the conversation before the actual subject is named.
The word se is closely related to the word tseh in other Finno-Permic languages.
While English uses 'the' for both singular and plural, the plural version of this colloquial marker in Finnish is ne.

Tuo on se mäyrä!
That's the badger!
This example shows how to use se to identify a specific animal.
Tatoeba #3350947 by Silja, translation #739693 by Vortarulo
Niin se vain on.
That's just the way it is.
This example demonstrates how se can be used to describe a situation.
Tatoeba #6008714 by guni, translation #1768718 by Spamster
Missä se puu on?
Where is the tree?
This example shows how to use se when asking about the location of a specific object.
Tatoeba #7839186 by Thanuir, translation #4759519 by aldar
Juna lähtee asemalta.
The train is leaving from the station
Kirja on pöydällä.
The book is on the table
1925 more sentences on Tatoeba

Matti and Sofia are looking for a specific lost key in the living room.

Sources

Wiktionary, “the” translations and entries se, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries se, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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