Finnish for work: words, phrases and small talk

Why Finnish matters at work

Some companies in Finland work in English, especially in tech and research. But in most workplaces, Finnish is the everyday language. Customers, forms, safety instructions and the coffee break usually happen in Finnish.

• More jobs: many job ads ask for Finnish, especially in services, health care, education and the public sector.
• Easier daily life at work: you understand meetings, notices and the people around you.
• Belonging: colleagues often switch to English to be kind, but the real chat happens in Finnish.
• Career growth: team leads and customer-facing roles often need Finnish.

What level do employers expect?

It depends on the job. There is no single rule, so read the job ad carefully and ask the employer if it is unclear.

For public-sector jobs, OPH says satisfactory Finnish can be shown with grade 3 and good Finnish with grade 4 in the intermediate YKI test. Regulated professions, such as health care, have their own language rules. Check with the authority for your field.

Workplace vocabulary

Phrases for everyday tasks

Understanding and asking

Shifts, breaks and sick leave

Small talk at work

Finnish small talk is short and calm. Nobody expects a long chat, but a few friendly lines at the coffee machine go a long way. Silence is normal, not rude.

Spoken Finnish at work

Colleagues usually speak puhekieli, everyday spoken Finnish. It sounds different from your textbook. You don't have to speak it, but you need to understand it. Learn more in spoken Finnish.

Writing work emails

Finnish work emails are short and direct. Start with Hei and the person's first name, get to the point, and close politely. Formal letters to outsiders may start with Hyvä vastaanottaja, but colleagues use Hei.

• Kiitos viestistä. Thanks for your message.
• Palaan asiaan huomenna. I'll get back to this tomorrow.
• Liitteenä on… Attached is…
• Voisitko tarkistaa tämän? Could you check this?
• Ystävällisin terveisin is the standard polite closing.

How to make progress at work

• Tell colleagues you are learning: Puhutaan suomea, haluan harjoitella. (Let's speak Finnish, I want to practise.)
• Keep a notebook of words you hear every day at your workplace.
• Prepare one or two sentences before meetings, such as a short update on your task.
• Practise the situations you dread most, like phone calls, out loud before they happen.
• If your goal is a certificate, see the YKI test guide.

Practise with Maija

Maija lets you rehearse real work situations out loud: a shift swap, a call to say you are sick, small talk at the coffee machine. She listens, answers like a colleague would and gently corrects you, with explanations in 12 languages if you need them. Take the free level check and start with the situations you meet every week.