Bedeutung
Cleaning one's teeth.
Kultureller Hintergrund
The 'Hammaspeikko' (Tooth Troll) is a famous cultural character used to scare children into brushing. He lives in dirty mouths and drills holes. Xylitol is ubiquitous. Most Finns chew Xylitol gum immediately after eating, but this is seen as a supplement to, not a replacement for, 'pestä hampaat'. Public dental care is free for children under 18, and 'hampaiden pesu' is strictly monitored and taught in schools. The concept of 'Karkkipäivä' (Candy Day) means that 'pestä hampaat' is a particularly important ritual on Saturday nights.
Verb Type 1
Remember that 'pestä' is a Type 1 verb. The stem is 'pese-'. Add -n, -t, -e, etc.
Don't say 'brush'
Avoid saying 'harjata' unless you want to sound slightly like a translation. 'Pestä' is the heart of the language.
Bedeutung
Cleaning one's teeth.
Verb Type 1
Remember that 'pestä' is a Type 1 verb. The stem is 'pese-'. Add -n, -t, -e, etc.
Don't say 'brush'
Avoid saying 'harjata' unless you want to sound slightly like a translation. 'Pestä' is the heart of the language.
Xylitol
Always mention Xylitol if you want to sound like a local expert on Finnish dental care.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the missing verb in the correct form.
Minä ______ hampaat joka ilta. (I wash teeth every night.)
The subject is 'Minä' (I), so the verb 'pestä' must be in the first-person singular form 'pesen'.
Which sentence is the most natural Finnish?
How do you tell a child to brush their teeth?
'Pese hampaat!' is the standard, most natural imperative for this action.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Miksi olet kylpyhuoneessa? B: ______.
The person is explaining their current/intended action using the standard collocation.
Match the phrase to the situation.
You are at the dentist and they ask about your routine.
This is the most common and healthy response in a dental context.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Daily Hygiene Kit
Tools
- • hammasharja
- • hammastahna
- • hammaslanka
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenMinä ______ hampaat joka ilta. (I wash teeth every night.)
The subject is 'Minä' (I), so the verb 'pestä' must be in the first-person singular form 'pesen'.
How do you tell a child to brush their teeth?
'Pese hampaat!' is the standard, most natural imperative for this action.
A: Miksi olet kylpyhuoneessa? B: ______.
The person is explaining their current/intended action using the standard collocation.
You are at the dentist and they ask about your routine.
This is the most common and healthy response in a dental context.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
4 FragenYes, it is understood and grammatically correct, but 'pestä hampaat' is the more traditional and common way to say it.
Finnish categorizes most hygiene tasks involving water and cleaning agents as 'washing'.
Yes, unless you are literally cleaning only one single tooth.
Usually no. It's implied that you are washing your own teeth unless stated otherwise.
Verwandte Redewendungen
harjata hampaat
synonymto brush teeth
huuhdella suu
similarto rinse the mouth
lankata hampaat
builds onto floss teeth
valkaista hampaat
specialized formto whiten teeth
