When we talk about doing sports in Finnish, we use the verb urheilla. This is a general verb for engaging in any kind of sports activity. It's often used when you're talking about sports as a hobby or something you do regularly for exercise. For example, if you say "Minä urheilen joka päivä," it means "I do sports every day." You can also specify the sport, like "Minä urheilen jalkapalloa" for "I play football."
Urheilla, a Finnish verb at CEFR B1 level, means 'to do sports'. It's an intransitive verb, so it doesn't take a direct object. This is a common verb you'll hear in everyday Finnish when people talk about their hobbies or activities.
For example, you could say Minä urheilen joka päivä, which means 'I do sports every day'. Another common use is in questions like Mitä sinä urheilet? meaning 'What sports do you do?'
This verb is quite versatile and can be used to refer to participating in any kind of sport or physical activity. It implies a general act of engaging in sports rather than specifying a particular sport.
Understanding urheilla is crucial for discussing personal interests and daily routines in Finnish. Remember, it's about the action of doing sports in general.
§ Don't confuse 'urheilla' with 'pelata' or 'harrastaa'
Many English speakers get confused between 'urheilla', 'pelata', and 'harrastaa' because in English, you often 'play sports' or 'do sports'. In Finnish, it's a bit more specific.
- DEFINITION
- Urheilla means to engage in sports activities, to be active in sports, or to do sports in general. It's about the act of physical exertion for sport.
- DEFINITION
- Pelata means to play. You use it for specific games, like 'pelata jalkapalloa' (to play football) or 'pelata tennistä' (to play tennis).
- DEFINITION
- Harrastaa means to have as a hobby. You can 'harrastaa jalkapalloa' (to have football as a hobby) or 'harrastaa uintia' (to have swimming as a hobby). It emphasizes the hobby aspect more than the act of doing.
So, you wouldn't say 'minä urheilen jalkapalloa' (I sport football). You would say 'minä pelaan jalkapalloa' or 'minä harrastan jalkapalloa'. You use 'urheilla' when you're talking about sports generally or the act of being sporty.
Minä urheilen paljon. (I do a lot of sports / I exercise a lot.)
Hän pelaa koripalloa joka viikko. (He plays basketball every week.)
He harrastavat lentopalloa. (They have volleyball as a hobby.)
§ Using 'urheilla' transitively or with objects
'Urheilla' is an intransitive verb. This means it doesn't take a direct object. You can't 'urheilla' something. If you want to talk about doing a specific sport, you need to use other verbs or phrases.
Incorrect:
- Minä urheilen juoksua. (I sport running.)
Correct ways to express this:
- Minä juoksen. (I run.)
- Minä harrastan juoksua. (I have running as a hobby.)
- Minä käyn juoksulenkillä. (I go for a run.)
§ 'Urheilla' vs. 'liikkua'
Another common point of confusion is between 'urheilla' and 'liikkua'. Both involve physical activity, but with different nuances.
- DEFINITION
- Urheilla specifically refers to engaging in sports. It implies structured, often competitive, physical activity with a focus on training or performance.
- DEFINITION
- Liikkua is a broader term meaning 'to move' or 'to exercise'. It can refer to any physical activity, from a gentle walk to intense training, without necessarily being 'sport'.
On tärkeää liikkua joka päivä. (It is important to move / exercise every day.)
Viikonloppuna me urheilemme. (On the weekend, we do sports.)
While doing sports ('urheilla') is a form of moving ('liikkua'), not all moving is sports. You 'liikkua' when you walk to the store, but you wouldn't necessarily 'urheilla' unless you were power walking for exercise. 'Urheilla' carries a stronger connotation of active participation in a sport.
Nivel de dificultad
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short
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Requisitos previos
Aprende después
Avanzado
Ejemplos por nivel
Minä urheilen joka päivä.
I do sports every day.
Hän tykkää urheilla paljon.
She likes to do sports a lot.
Me urheilemme yhdessä.
We do sports together.
He eivät urheile.
They do not do sports.
Sinä urheiletko usein?
Do you do sports often?
Lapset urheilevat puistossa.
The children do sports in the park.
Haluan urheilla enemmän.
I want to do more sports.
On hyvä urheilla.
It is good to do sports.
Modismos y expresiones
"urheilu on terveellistä"
doing sports is healthy
Muista, että urheilu on terveellistä.
neutral"olla urheilullinen"
to be athletic
Hän on erittäin urheilullinen tyyppi.
neutral"harrastaa urheilua"
to engage in sports (as a hobby)
Lapset harrastavat urheilua koulun jälkeen.
neutral"pysyä kunnossa urheilemalla"
to stay in shape by doing sports
Minä yritän pysyä kunnossa urheilemalla säännöllisesti.
neutral"urheiluhenkinen"
sports-minded
Meidän perhe on tosi urheiluhenkinen.
neutral"urheilla kilpaa"
to compete in sports
Hän urheilee kilpaa juoksussa.
neutral"urheiluhullu"
sports fanatic (often used informally)
Minun isäni on ihan urheiluhullu.
informal"vetää urheiluvaatteet päälle"
to put on sports clothes
Vedin urheiluvaatteet päälle ja lähdin lenkille.
neutral"urheilupäivä"
sports day
Huomenna on meillä koulussa urheilupäivä.
neutral"urheilu yhdistää ihmisiä"
sports unite people
Uskon, että urheilu yhdistää ihmisiä kaikkialla maailmassa.
neutralPonte a prueba 30 preguntas
This means 'I like to do sports.'
This means 'He/She does sports every day.'
This means 'We don't do sports often.'
Read this aloud:
Urheiletko sinä viikonloppuna?
Focus: urheiletko
Dijiste:
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Read this aloud:
He urheilevat yhdessä.
Focus: urheilevat
Dijiste:
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Read this aloud:
Minä en urheile tänään.
Focus: urheile
Dijiste:
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Write two sentences about a sport you do or would like to do. Use the verb 'urheilla' in at least one sentence.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Minä urheilen mielelläni koripalloa. Haluaisin urheilla enemmän jalkapalloa.
Imagine you are describing your favorite hobby to a friend. Write two sentences, one of which must include 'urheilla'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
Minun suosikkiharrastukseni on uinti. Tykkään urheilla vedessä.
Write two sentences about why it's good to do sports. Include the word 'urheilla'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
On tärkeää urheilla säännöllisesti. Urheilu pitää meidät terveinä ja energisinä.
Mitä Pekka ja Maija tekevät usein viikonloppuisin?
Read this passage:
Pekka ja Maija urheilevat usein viikonloppuisin. Pekka tykkää juosta, ja Maija ui. He haluavat pysyä kunnossa.
Mitä Pekka ja Maija tekevät usein viikonloppuisin?
Tekstissä sanotaan 'Pekka ja Maija urheilevat usein viikonloppuisin.' (Pekka and Maija often do sports on weekends.)
Tekstissä sanotaan 'Pekka ja Maija urheilevat usein viikonloppuisin.' (Pekka and Maija often do sports on weekends.)
Mitä minä teen tekstin mukaan?
Read this passage:
Minun perheeni tykkää urheilla. Isä pelaa jääkiekkoa, äiti käy kävelyllä ja minä pyöräilen. Me kaikki nautimme liikkumisesta.
Mitä minä teen tekstin mukaan?
Tekstissä sanotaan 'minä pyöräilen' (I cycle).
Tekstissä sanotaan 'minä pyöräilen' (I cycle).
Miksi on hyvä urheilla?
Read this passage:
On hyvä urheilla, koska se auttaa pysymään terveenä. Monet ihmiset urheilevat ulkona kauniina päivinä, esimerkiksi metsässä tai puistossa.
Miksi on hyvä urheilla?
Tekstissä sanotaan 'On hyvä urheilla, koska se auttaa pysymään terveenä.' (It is good to do sports because it helps to stay healthy.)
Tekstissä sanotaan 'On hyvä urheilla, koska se auttaa pysymään terveenä.' (It is good to do sports because it helps to stay healthy.)
Which of these activities can be best described with 'urheilla'?
'Urheilla' specifically refers to engaging in sports or athletic activities. Running a marathon is a clear example of this.
If someone says 'Minä urheilen joka päivä', what are they most likely doing?
'Joka päivä' means 'every day', and 'urheilen' is the first person singular form of 'urheilla', meaning 'I do sports'.
Which Finnish verb is a synonym for 'urheilla' in the context of physical activity?
While 'pelaamaan' can sometimes refer to playing sports, 'liikkua' is a broader term for physical activity and is often used interchangeably with 'urheilla' when speaking about exercise.
You can use 'urheilla' to describe someone playing a musical instrument.
'Urheilla' is specifically for physical sports or athletic activities, not for playing musical instruments, which is 'soittaa'.
If you go for a brisk walk, you can say 'minä urheilen'.
A brisk walk is a form of physical exercise and can be considered 'doing sports' in a general sense, especially if done regularly for fitness.
The word 'urheilla' can be used to mean 'to relax'.
'Urheilla' means 'to do sports' or 'to exercise', which is the opposite of relaxing. To relax is 'rentoutua'.
Listen to how Finns do sports in winter.
Practice pronunciation: 'He does sports every day.'
Can you repeat this sentence: 'We did sports all weekend.'
Read this aloud:
Kuvaile suosikkilajisi ja miksi pidät siitä.
Focus: suosikkilajisi
Dijiste:
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Read this aloud:
Keskustele ystäväsi kanssa liikunnan hyödyistä ja haasteista.
Focus: liikunnan hyödyistä
Dijiste:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Kerro, millaisia urheilutottumuksia sinulla on ollut lapsena verrattuna nykyhetkeen.
Focus: urheilutottumuksia
Dijiste:
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The typical Finnish sentence structure places the subject first, followed by the verb, adverb of frequency, and then the adverb of time.
The auxiliary verb 'haluaisin' (I would like) precedes the infinitive verb 'urheilla' (to do sports), followed by the adverb 'enemmän' (more) and the time expression 'tänä vuonna' (this year).
In an interrogative sentence, the verb 'onko' (is it) comes first, followed by the adjective 'tärkeää' (important), the infinitive 'urheilla' (to do sports), the adverb 'säännöllisesti' (regularly), and the phrase 'hyvinvoinnin vuoksi' (for well-being).
/ 30 correct
Perfect score!
