Bedeutung
Fulfilling a commitment.
Kultureller Hintergrund
In Finland, a verbal agreement is often considered as binding as a written contract. This is rooted in the historical agrarian society where your word was your credit. Finnish business culture is characterized by high trust. If a partner says they will do something, they are expected to 'pitää lupaus' without constant follow-ups. Small talk is less common in Finland, and people tend to mean exactly what they say. Making 'empty promises' is seen as very rude. The concept of 'valat' (oaths) in ancient Finnish law was sacred. Breaking an oath was one of the most serious social crimes.
Use Possessives
It sounds much more natural to say 'Pidän lupaukseni' (I keep my promise) than just 'Pidän lupauksen'.
Consonant Gradation
Don't forget that 'pitää' changes to 'pidä-' when you conjugate it for I, you, we, and you all.
Bedeutung
Fulfilling a commitment.
Use Possessives
It sounds much more natural to say 'Pidän lupaukseni' (I keep my promise) than just 'Pidän lupauksen'.
Consonant Gradation
Don't forget that 'pitää' changes to 'pidä-' when you conjugate it for I, you, we, and you all.
The 'Word' Alternative
Use 'pitää sanansa' if you want to sound like a native speaker talking about personal integrity.
Don't Over-promise
In Finland, it's better to promise less and do more than to promise a lot and fail.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'pitää'.
Minä aina ______ lupaukseni. (I always keep my promise.)
For 'minä' (I), the verb 'pitää' changes to 'pidän'.
Which sentence is correct?
How do you say 'He didn't keep the promise'?
In negative sentences, the object (lupaus) must be in the partitive case (lupausta).
Match the Finnish phrase with its English meaning.
Match the following:
These are the four main stages of a promise in Finnish.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 'Tuletko huomenna?' B: 'Lupaan tulla, ja minä ______ ______.'
'Pidän lupaukseni' means 'I keep my promise', which fits the context of confirming a commitment.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Reliability Vocabulary
Positive
- • Pitää lupaus
- • Luotettava
- • Rehellinen
Negative
- • Rikkoa lupaus
- • Epäluotettava
- • Valehdella
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenMinä aina ______ lupaukseni. (I always keep my promise.)
For 'minä' (I), the verb 'pitää' changes to 'pidän'.
How do you say 'He didn't keep the promise'?
In negative sentences, the object (lupaus) must be in the partitive case (lupausta).
Ordne jedem Element links seinen Partner rechts zu:
These are the four main stages of a promise in Finnish.
A: 'Tuletko huomenna?' B: 'Lupaan tulla, ja minä ______ ______.'
'Pidän lupaukseni' means 'I keep my promise', which fits the context of confirming a commitment.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
12 FragenNo. While 'pitää' can mean 'to like', it requires the elative case (lupauksesta). 'Pitää lupaus' (accusative) always means 'to keep a promise'.
It is neutral. You can use it with your boss or your best friend.
The opposite is 'rikkoa lupaus' (to break a promise).
You say 'Minä lupaan'.
Because it's the object of a completed action, so it goes into the accusative case.
No, that sounds like you are keeping a promise in a physical box.
Yes, but it's more like 'keeping one's word'. It's very common and slightly more idiomatic.
Minä pidän aina lupaukseni.
It comes from 'luvata' (to promise) and means 'a promise'.
Yes, because reliability is a very important cultural value.
No, for secrets use 'pitää salaisuus'.
Minä pidin, sinä pidit, hän piti, me pidimme, te piditte, he pitivät.
Verwandte Redewendungen
pitää sanansa
similarTo keep one's word
rikkoa lupaus
contrastTo break a promise
antaa lupaus
builds onTo make a promise
täyttää lupaus
specialized formTo fulfill a promise
perua lupaus
similarTo cancel a promise
syödä sanansa
contrastTo eat one's words
