Around 1000 words are enough to understand roughly 85% of everyday speech. That is exactly what 1000 Words focuses on: instead of endless grammar tables, you first learn the Finnish vocabulary you will actually meet in real life – nouns, verbs, adjectives and full sentences, each with translation, example sentence and audio.
Learn the way that fits your day: as a video to read along, as an audiobook for your commute or for falling asleep, as an ebook, or with the built-in vocabulary trainer that shows you every word again at the scientifically optimal moment (spaced repetition). Everything is available on the website and in the free app for iOS and Android.
You will start with everyday Finnish words like the food (ruoka), the drink (juoma), the cup (kuppi) — the vocabulary that appears most often in real conversations.
| English | Finnish | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| the food | ruoka | The food is delicious. Ruoka on herkullista. |
| the drink | juoma | I want a drink. Haluan juoman. |
| the cup | kuppi | The cup is full. Kuppi on täysi. |
| the bottle | pullo | The bottle is empty. Pullo on tyhjä. |
| the plate | lautanen | The plate is clean. Lautanen on puhdas. |
| the spoon | lusikka | I use a spoon. Käytän lusikkaa. |
| the fork | haarukka | I eat with a fork. Syön haarukalla. |
| the knife | veitsi | The knife is sharp. Veitsi on terävä. |
| the breakfast | aamiainen | I eat breakfast. Syön aamiaista. |
| the lunch | lounas | We have lunch at noon. Syömme lounasta keskipäivällä. |
| the dinner | päivällinen | They eat dinner together. He syövät päivällistä yhdessä. |
| the bread | leipä | I buy bread. Ostan leipää. |
| the butter | voi | I put butter on the bread. Laitan voita leivälle. |
| the cheese | juusto | I eat cheese. Syön juustoa. |
| the milk | maito | I drink milk. Juon maitoa. |
| the coffee | kahvi | I drink coffee in the morning. Juon kahvia aamulla. |
| the tea | tee | I like tea. Pidän teestä. |
| the juice | mehu | I drink juice. Juon mehua. |
| the soda | virvoitusjuoma | I drink soda. Juon virvoitusjuomaa. |
| the rice | riisi | I eat rice. Syön riisiä. |
The 100 most important Finnish words →
The 100 most important Finnish verbs →
| to borrow | lainata |
| to buy | ostaa |
| to clean | siivota |
| to close | sulkea |
| to cook | kokata |
| to do | tehdä |
| to drink | juoda |
| to eat | syödä |
| to find | löytää |
| to get | saada |
| She is my friend | Hän on ystäväni. |
| They have fun together | Heillä on hauskaa yhdessä. |
| We eat lunch together | Syömme lounasta yhdessä. |
| She smiles a lot | Hän hymyilee paljon. |
| He tells funny jokes | Hän kertoo hauskoja vitsejä. |
| I visit my friends | Käyn ystävieni luona. |
Every word narrated and illustrated – read along and repeat.
All vocabulary as audio – including a 3x repetition version, perfect for listening before you fall asleep.
All words and sentences to look up and read offline.
Spaced-repetition system like flashcards – reviews exactly when you need them.
Type your own words – AI translates them, adds example sentences and the trainer practises them with you.
Short stories built from the words you already know, with audio and tap-to-explain.
Download Premium content and keep learning without internet.
With the 1000 most frequent words you understand about 85% of everyday spoken language. That is why 1000 Words focuses exactly on this core vocabulary – organized into nouns, verbs & adjectives and full sentences.
Research shows the brain consolidates previously learned material during sleep. Our audiobooks with triple repetition are made for this: listen in the evening, relax, and anchor what you learned. Read more in our article on learning while you sleep.
Yes, getting started is free: parts of the videos and audiobooks, the vocabulary trainer, the matching game and previews of all content. Premium unlocks everything – including downloads for offline mode.
For beginners and returners (level A1–B1) who want to build a usable Finnish vocabulary fast – without grammar overload, with audio.