Hi everyone! Today's video topic is actually the winner of
a poll I recently did for my channel members and today we will be talking about Finnish words
that don't have an exact English translation. If you would like to practice these Finnish words
in real life Finnish conversations, you can book a Finnish language conversation private lesson on a website
called italki where you can find native tutors offering 1-1 classes that you can flexibly
book to suit your own schedule. I've been a tutor on itaki during the spring where I've had
casual Finnish conversations with actually quite a few of you! Where I've helped you gain
confidence and practice your Finnish speaking Besides more casual conversation classes, you
can also find professional teachers that offer more structured Finnish lessons that include things
like grammar and test preparation. If you sign up to italki for the first time from the link in my
bio you can get three trial classes at a reduced price and even better as an italki ambassador
you can use my code KAT24 for an extra 5€ off a lesson of at least 10€. First up we have the word
jaksaa - I use this word all the time! In my opinion, the closest English
word for jaksaa is to endure or to cope or to manage something. The meaning kind
of conveys a sense of having the energy or mental strength to keep going or endure some
challenges. An example sentence would be: = I can't be bothered / I'm too tired to go to work It's not exactly I can't endure going or I can't cope to go.
There's not an exact English word for this but it means you're kind of too tired / you
can't be bothered / your mental energy is low Something along the lines of that.
"mä en jaksa" is a very common and good to know phrase . It means I don't have the energy / I can't be
bothered or I'm too tired. = Do you have the energy / are you able
to have the strength to come with me? = It's nothing / I can do it / I have the energy /
I'm able to / I am able to have the strength to do that "jaksaa" = to be able to have the strength to do something The next word is "löyly"
this is a bit of a mouthful of a word! There's actually a famous cafe / restaurant in
Helsinki called Löyly with views to the sea. Tip! But löyly, the closest English word would be steam in the
context of a sauna. So this is a sauna word and it specifically refers to the steam and heat
produced when water is thrown on the hot sauna stones. So when you're sitting in the sauna, you
have the bucket of water and people throw the water onto the hot sauna stones and there's
that steam that comes off or like comes up from there. That steam is called "löyly".
Of course I can't make this video without mentioning "sisu" I suppose the closest English word would
be resilience and a lot of people have asked me: What exactly does sisu really mean?
I would say it's a Finnish concept that includes things inner strength, determination, resilience -
especially in times of hardship / challenges or some type of adversity. So you really pull
through that, you show your sisu, you're determined to get through this no matter what!
You are hearty, you have a lot of inner strength and resilience to get through these challenges.
You have a lot of sisu and when people describe Finnish people as having a lot of sisu, that is
what this kind of refers to or it also could refer to having a lot of grit. Personal grit.
Another very useful word in Finnish is "tarjeta" The closest English word or phrase to
describe "tarjeta" is to manage to stay warm or to be able to endure the cold weather. So often you
use "tarjeta" to describe if someone can withstand the cold conditions without feeling too uncomfortable.
For example there is a famous JVG song called "tarkenee" = How are you able to withstand the cold in that t-shirt Or like JVG said in the song:
I'm okay in this cold / I have enough clothes on I'm alright Another word that Finnish people
love using is the word "reipas" There's not a direct translation into
English but it means something along the lines of brisk or energetic or having a good enthusiastic
attitude and it's usually used to describe a person that is very active, good-spirited,
has a positive attitude, is quite energetic Does tasks in a good manner .. because
it's often used when describing employees or in the work context. Oh, this person is very "reipas"
which means: oh he or she is hardworking, has a good positive attitude when doing the tasks
and is very lively. Something like this or also you can can describe children as being "reipas"
so if a child has a good attitude, energetic in a good way and if you give them their chores
they're doing their chores with a good attitude, doing it well, they're efficient / diligent/ have
all these kind of good qualities. You would say = oh this is a very energetic / positive / active / lively kid
(all these other words I was saying before) it just has all of these
types of good adjectives associated with the word "reipas". Then we have the word "ruska" I wanted to
include this because I really like this word "ruska" and the closest English word to describe it
is fall leaves or fall foliage. So "ruska" refers to the period in Autumn when leaves change color.
So "ruska" specifically describes the phenomenon of all the fall leaves turning colors to being
red, yellow, orange, brown all the different fall shades. When you look into the forest and
you see all of the leaves being beautiful colors in the fall, you' say: This it's ruska season.
The final word on this list is: "pääkallokeli" "pääkallo" means skull, "keli" means weather.
= skull weather. This would sort of translate to extremely slippery outdoor conditions. Which can be very
dangerous to not only pedestrians (so people walking around) but also cars. Especially in
Finland during the winter months the temperature can bounce around quite a bit. It can be
very cold, then it can suddenly be quite warm where the snow / ice starts to melt and then it
can suddenly freeze again where you get this black ice and that is very very slippery.
Lots of people fall and injure themselves every single year in Finland because this
black ice is very dangerous to walk on Those are just a few Finnish words that
don't have a super direct English translation! Maybe there are in some other languages so
if your language has a very accurate / good translation for any of these words please
leave them in the comments down below. I also could make a part two because there's a
lot of words I didn't included in this video that I could have. Let me know if you're
interested in a part two of this and otherwise Thank you so much for watching.
And see you in the next video. Bye!
