A2 Expression Informel

miten menee

how is it going

Phrase in 30 Seconds

A versatile, casual greeting used to ask how someone's life or current situation is progressing.

  • Means: 'How is it going?' or literally 'How goes?'
  • Used in: Casual meetups, texting friends, or starting a chat.
  • Don't confuse: With 'Miten olet?', which is a literal but incorrect translation.
👋 + 🏃‍♂️ = 🗣️ (Greeting + Movement = Conversation)

Explanation at your level:

At the A1 level, you just need to know that 'Miten menee?' means 'How's it going?'. It is a simple greeting. You can answer with 'Hyvää' (Good) or 'Kiitos, hyvää' (Thanks, good). You use it with friends and people you know. It is very common in Finland.
At the A2 level, you understand that 'Miten menee?' uses the verb 'mennä' (to go). You can expand the phrase to 'Miten sinulla menee?' to be more specific. You also know the common answer 'Ihan hyvin' (Quite well) and can ask the question back using 'Entä sinulla?' (And you?).
At the B1 level, you can distinguish between 'Miten menee?' and 'Mitä kuuluu?'. You understand that 'Miten menee?' is slightly more informal and focuses on the current situation. You can use it in various contexts, like work or hobbies, by adding a location: 'Miten töissä menee?'. You also start to recognize spoken forms like 'Mites menee?'.
At the B2 level, you are comfortable with the impersonal nature of the phrase. You understand that the verb doesn't change because the subject is the abstract 'state of things'. You can use more nuanced responses like 'Siinähän se' (It's going okay/the usual) and understand the cultural expectation of honesty in the reply. You can also use the phrase in the past tense: 'Miten loma meni?'.
At the C1 level, you master the sociolinguistic nuances of the phrase. You know exactly when to use 'Miten menee?' versus 'Miten hurisee?' to signal group belonging. You can analyze the phrase's role in Finnish discourse as a tool for managing social distance. You are also aware of how the phrase can be used sarcastically or to express concern depending on the intonation.
At the C2 level, you possess a near-native grasp of the existential and metaphorical underpinnings of 'mennä' in Finnish. You can discuss the phrase's evolution from physical movement to a temporal-existential marker. You understand how this impersonal construction reflects a broader Finnish linguistic worldview that often de-emphasizes individual agency in favor of situational flow. You can use the phrase and its most obscure variations with perfect pragmatic timing.

Signification

Asking about someone's current state.

🌍

Contexte culturel

Finns value 'asia' (matter/fact). If you ask 'Miten menee?', they might give you a factual update on their life rather than a polite 'Fine'. In offices, 'Miten menee?' is often used as a preamble to a task-related question. It's a way to check if the person is 'available' for a chat. On apps like WhatsApp, 'Miten menee?' is the standard way to start a conversation with someone you haven't messaged in a while. Older Finns might prefer 'Mitä kuuluu?', while younger generations almost exclusively use 'Miten menee?' or 'Mites menee?'.

💡

The 'Ihan' trick

When answering, use 'Ihan hyvin' (Quite well). It's the most Finnish way to respond—not too excited, not too negative.

⚠️

Don't over-ask

If you ask 'Miten menee?' every 5 minutes, it will annoy a Finn. Use it once per encounter.

Signification

Asking about someone's current state.

💡

The 'Ihan' trick

When answering, use 'Ihan hyvin' (Quite well). It's the most Finnish way to respond—not too excited, not too negative.

⚠️

Don't over-ask

If you ask 'Miten menee?' every 5 minutes, it will annoy a Finn. Use it once per encounter.

🎯

Add a name

Adding the person's name ('Miten menee, Ville?') makes the greeting feel much warmer and more personal.

💬

Be ready for honesty

If someone says 'Ei niin hyvin' (Not so well), don't panic. Just listen and say 'Olen pahoillani' (I'm sorry).

Teste-toi

Fill in the missing word to complete the greeting.

Moi! Miten _______?

✓ Correct ! ✗ Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte : menee

'Miten menee?' is the standard phrase. 'Miten kuuluu' is incorrect (it should be 'Mitä kuuluu').

Which of these is the most natural way to ask a friend how they are?

A: Miten olet? B: Miten menee? C: Mikä olet?

✓ Correct ! ✗ Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte : B

'Miten menee?' is the natural idiomatic expression. 'Miten olet?' is a literal translation error.

Complete the dialogue with the most appropriate response.

Antti: Miten menee? Sinä: ________, kiitos.

✓ Correct ! ✗ Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte : Ihan hyvin

'Ihan hyvin' (Quite well) is the most common and natural response to 'Miten menee?'.

Match the phrase to the correct situation.

1. Miten menee? 2. Miten teillä menee? 3. Miten töissä menee?

✓ Correct ! ✗ Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte : 1-B, 2-A, 3-C

The suffix and context change the scope of the question.

🎉 Score : /4

Aides visuelles

Miten menee vs. Mitä kuuluu

Miten menee?
Informal
Process-focused
How's it going?
Mitä kuuluu?
Neutral/Formal
State-focused
How are you?

Questions fréquentes

10 questions

In most Finnish workplaces, it's perfectly fine. If the environment is very traditional, use 'Mitä teille kuuluu?'.

'Miten menee' is 'How's it going' (process-oriented). 'Mitä kuuluu' is 'How are you' (state-oriented).

You can say 'Vähän huonosti' (A bit badly) or 'Ei kovin hyvin' (Not very well).

Yes, but keep it brief. A simple 'Moi, miten menee?' is a nice way to be friendly.

Because 'menen' means 'I go'. 'Menee' is the impersonal 'it goes'.

Yes: 'Miten meni?' (How did it go?).

It's polite but not strictly mandatory among close friends.

It's just a more casual, spoken version of 'Miten menee'.

Yes, in a casual or semi-formal email to a colleague.

Yes, 'Hyvin' (Well) is a perfectly acceptable short answer.

Expressions liées

🔄

Mitä kuuluu?

synonym

How are you? (Literally: What is heard?)

🔗

Miten hurisee?

slang

How's it whirring?

🔗

Mitä uutta?

similar

What's new?

🔗

Miten menee sinulla?

builds on

How is it going with you?

🔗

Miten meni?

specialized form

How did it go?

Où l'utiliser

☕

Meeting a friend at a cafe

Antti: Moi Salla! Miten menee?

Salla: Moi! Ihan hyvin, kiitos. Entä sinulla?

informal
💻

Starting a Slack chat at work

Mikko: Moi Tiina, miten menee? Onko sinulla hetki aikaa?

Tiina: Moi Mikko, hyvin menee! On aikaa, kerro vain.

neutral
🏠

Running into a neighbor

Naapuri: Päivää! Miten menee?

Sinä: Päivää! Tässähän se menee, kiitos.

neutral
📊

Asking about a specific project

Pomo: Miten sen raportin kanssa menee?

Työntekijä: Se menee hyvin, saan sen valmiiksi huomenna.

neutral
📱

Texting a sibling

Veli: Moi, miten menee? Mitä suunnitelmia viikonlopuksi?

Sisko: Moi! Väsyttää vähän, mutta muuten menee hyvin.

informal
🏋️

At the gym with a trainer

Valmentaja: Miten menee, tuntuuko raskaalta?

Asiakas: Menee hyvin, vielä jaksaa!

informal

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of 'Miten menee' as 'Meeting Men' who are 'Going' somewhere. 'Miten' sounds like 'Meeting', 'Menee' sounds like 'Men-eh'.

Visual Association

Imagine a small Finnish wooden boat (a 'soutuvene') flowing down a calm river. The river is life, and you are asking how the boat is 'going' along the current.

Rhyme

Miten menee, kello kymmenen jo menee.

Story

You meet a Finn named Matti. Matti is always on the move. You ask him 'Miten menee?' because you want to know how his constant 'going' is working out for him. He stops, thinks for a second, and says 'Ihan hyvin'.

Word Web

mennämenneisyysmenomenestysmenetysmenettelymenolippu

Défi

Try to say 'Miten menee?' to three different people today: a friend, a colleague, and a shopkeeper. Note their different reactions.

In Other Languages

Spanish high

¿Cómo te va?

Spanish is often more exuberant in the response than Finnish.

French high

Comment ça va ?

French 'ça va' can be both the question and the answer.

German high

Wie geht's?

German 'Wie geht's' is often even more clipped than the Finnish version.

Japanese low

調子はどうですか？

Japanese requires different levels of politeness (keigo) that Finnish lacks.

Arabic moderate

كيف حالك؟

Arabic greetings are often followed by religious formulas like 'Alhamdulillah'.

Chinese low

你怎么样？

Chinese often uses 'Have you eaten?' as a common greeting instead.

Korean moderate

어떻게 지내요?

Korean requires strict honorifics based on the age of the listener.

Portuguese high

Como vai?

Portuguese speakers might use 'Tudo bem?' more frequently than 'Como vai?'.

Easily Confused

miten menee vs Miten olet?

Learners translate 'How are you?' literally from English.

Remember that in Finnish, life 'goes', it doesn't just 'be'.

miten menee vs Mitä kuuluu?

They are very similar and often interchangeable.

Use 'Miten menee' for 'How's it going' and 'Mitä kuuluu' for 'How are you'.

FAQ (10)

In most Finnish workplaces, it's perfectly fine. If the environment is very traditional, use 'Mitä teille kuuluu?'.

'Miten menee' is 'How's it going' (process-oriented). 'Mitä kuuluu' is 'How are you' (state-oriented).

You can say 'Vähän huonosti' (A bit badly) or 'Ei kovin hyvin' (Not very well).

Yes, but keep it brief. A simple 'Moi, miten menee?' is a nice way to be friendly.

Because 'menen' means 'I go'. 'Menee' is the impersonal 'it goes'.

Yes: 'Miten meni?' (How did it go?).

It's polite but not strictly mandatory among close friends.

It's just a more casual, spoken version of 'Miten menee'.

Yes, in a casual or semi-formal email to a colleague.

Yes, 'Hyvin' (Well) is a perfectly acceptable short answer.

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