Signification
Feeling sorrow.
Contexte culturel
The concept of 'Kaiho' is a beautiful, lingering sadness often found in Finnish music and art. It's not seen as negative but as a deep emotional experience. During 'Kaamos' (winter darkness), it is culturally normal to express sadness or low energy. It's a shared national experience. In texting, Finns often use the 😔 emoji to accompany 'olla surullinen' to soften the directness of the statement. Finns value honesty. If you ask 'Mitä kuuluu?' (How are you?), a Finn might actually tell you they are 'surullinen' instead of giving a fake 'fine'.
Plural Check
Always remember 'Me olemme surullisia'. The partitive plural is key!
Not for Apologies
Don't say 'Olen surullinen' when you step on someone's toe.
Signification
Feeling sorrow.
Plural Check
Always remember 'Me olemme surullisia'. The partitive plural is key!
Not for Apologies
Don't say 'Olen surullinen' when you step on someone's toe.
Honesty
It's okay to tell a Finn you are sad. They value emotional authenticity.
Teste-toi
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'olla'.
Minä ______ surullinen.
The first person singular form of 'olla' is 'olen'.
Choose the correct plural form.
Me olemme...
When the subject is plural (Me), the predicative adjective is in the partitive plural.
Match the phrase to the situation.
Which phrase is best when you lose your wallet?
Losing a wallet makes you sad (surullinen). 'Pahoillani' is for apologizing.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Miksi sinä itket? B: Koska...
Crying (itkeä) is most logically connected to being sad.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Forms of Sadness
Basic
- • surullinen
- • iloton
Strong
- • murtunut
- • onneton
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesMinä ______ surullinen.
The first person singular form of 'olla' is 'olen'.
Me olemme...
When the subject is plural (Me), the predicative adjective is in the partitive plural.
Which phrase is best when you lose your wallet?
Losing a wallet makes you sad (surullinen). 'Pahoillani' is for apologizing.
A: Miksi sinä itket? B: Koska...
Crying (itkeä) is most logically connected to being sad.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsNo, 'suru' is a noun (sorrow). You must use the adjective 'surullinen'.
No, it's fine, but you can add 'vähän' (a little) to soften it: 'Olen vähän surullinen'.
Use 'Olen pahoillani' or simply 'Anteeksi'.
The opposite is 'iloinen' (happy).
No, Finnish has no grammatical gender. It's the same for everyone!
Yes, you can say 'Tämä on surullinen paikka' (This is a sad place).
'Surullinen' is an emotion, 'onneton' is more like 'unhappy' or 'unlucky'.
Hold the 'l' sound slightly longer than a single 'l'.
Yes, if you are explaining a personal situation like a death in the family.
Yes, 'Se oli surullinen elokuva' is very common.
Expressions liées
mieli on maassa
idiomto feel down
olla pahoillaan
similarto be sorry
ikävöidä
relatedto miss someone
olla onneton
synonymto be unhappy
