Bedeutung
Expressing need for food.
Kultureller Hintergrund
Finns value directness. If you are hungry, it is better to say it than to wait for someone to guess. The 'kahvitauko' (coffee break) is a sacred institution where hunger is addressed with 'pulla' (sweet buns). Similar to Finland, but Swedes might use 'fika' as the context. The word 'hungrig' is used similarly to 'nälkäinen'. Estonian 'näljane' is a cognate. The cultural attitude toward food is similar, rooted in Northern European agricultural history. In American culture, people often use hyperbole like 'I'm starving'. In Finland, 'Olen nälkäinen' is usually a literal statement of fact.
Use 'Minulla on nälkä' for a more natural sound
While 'Olen nälkäinen' is correct, 'Minulla on nälkä' is what you'll hear most often in Finnish homes.
Don't forget the dots!
The 'ä' in nälkäinen is crucial. 'Nalkainen' is not a word and will sound very strange.
Bedeutung
Expressing need for food.
Use 'Minulla on nälkä' for a more natural sound
While 'Olen nälkäinen' is correct, 'Minulla on nälkä' is what you'll hear most often in Finnish homes.
Don't forget the dots!
The 'ä' in nälkäinen is crucial. 'Nalkainen' is not a word and will sound very strange.
The '-inen' suffix
Learn this suffix! It's used for hundreds of Finnish adjectives (e.g., iloinen, punainen).
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'olla'.
Minä ____ nälkäinen.
The first person singular form of 'olla' is 'olen'.
Which sentence is correct for 'We are hungry'?
Select the correct plural form:
In Finnish, the adjective must be in the partitive plural 'nälkäisiä' when the subject is 'me'.
Match the Finnish phrase with its English meaning.
Match these:
These are the basic variations of the phrase.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Mennäänkö syömään? B: Joo, ____ todella nälkäinen.
B is talking about themselves, so 'olen' is correct.
Which phrase fits a formal setting?
You are at a business lunch and want to express hunger politely.
'Olen nälkäinen' is the most neutral and safe for formal contexts.
🎉 Ergebnis: /5
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Aufgabensammlung
5 AufgabenMinä ____ nälkäinen.
The first person singular form of 'olla' is 'olen'.
Select the correct plural form:
In Finnish, the adjective must be in the partitive plural 'nälkäisiä' when the subject is 'me'.
Ordne jedem Element links seinen Partner rechts zu:
These are the basic variations of the phrase.
A: Mennäänkö syömään? B: Joo, ____ todella nälkäinen.
B is talking about themselves, so 'olen' is correct.
You are at a business lunch and want to express hunger politely.
'Olen nälkäinen' is the most neutral and safe for formal contexts.
🎉 Ergebnis: /5
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenIt is neutral. It's used in textbooks and formal writing, but it's perfectly fine in casual talk too.
Yes, but Finns usually drop the 'Minä' because the verb 'olen' already tells us it's 'I'.
'Nälkä' is the noun (hunger), 'nälkäinen' is the adjective (hungry).
You can say 'Olen sudennälkäinen' or 'Kuolen nälkään'.
No, Finnish has no grammatical gender. It's the same for everyone!
Yes, 'vallannälkäinen' is a common compound word for power-hungry.
It's in the partitive plural because hunger is considered an ongoing state or divisible quality.
It's more casual. Use it with friends, but stick to 'Olen nälkäinen' in class or with strangers.
En ole enää nälkäinen.
Yes, 'Nälkäinen kissa' (A hungry cat).
Verwandte Redewendungen
Minulla on nälkä
similarI have hunger
Nälättää
specialized formTo feel hungry (impersonal)
Olla kylläinen
contrastTo be full/satisfied
Sudennälkä
builds onWolf-hunger
Nälkäinen kuin susi
specialized formHungry as a wolf
