When you're learning Finnish, you'll find words like elintarvike (foodstuff, grocery product) useful, especially when you're shopping. It's a key term for anything edible you buy from a store. Think of it as a general word for things like bread, milk, vegetables, or canned goods. If you see a sign that says 'Elintarvikkeet', it means 'Groceries'. Knowing this word will help you navigate Finnish supermarkets!
Exemples par niveau
Tässä kaupassa on paljon hyviä elintarvikkeita.
This shop has many good foodstuffs.
Minun täytyy ostaa lisää elintarvikkeita illallista varten.
I need to buy more groceries for dinner.
Elintarvikkeiden säilyvyys on tärkeää.
The shelf life of foodstuffs is important.
Mitä elintarvikkeita sinä yleensä ostat?
What groceries do you usually buy?
Haluatko luomuelintarvikkeita?
Do you want organic foodstuffs?
Elintarvikkeiden hinnat ovat nousseet.
Foodstuff prices have risen.
Pakasteelintarvikkeet ovat käteviä.
Frozen foodstuffs are convenient.
Tarkista elintarvikkeiden päivämäärät.
Check the dates on the foodstuffs.
Collocations courantes
Phrases Courantes
Ostamme elintarvikkeita kaupasta.
We buy foodstuffs from the store.
Nämä ovat terveellisiä elintarvikkeita.
These are healthy foodstuffs.
Tarkista elintarvikkeiden päiväys.
Check the date on the foodstuffs.
Elintarvikkeiden säilytys on tärkeää.
Storing foodstuffs is important.
Haluatko ostaa lisää elintarvikkeita?
Do you want to buy more groceries?
Elintarvikkeiden hinta on noussut.
The price of foodstuffs has risen.
Mitä elintarvikkeita sinulla on jääkaapissa?
What foodstuffs do you have in the fridge?
Tarvitsemme lisää elintarvikkeita viikonlopuksi.
We need more foodstuffs for the weekend.
Elintarvikkeiden pakkaus on kierrätettävä.
The packaging of foodstuffs must be recyclable.
Hän työskentelee elintarvikkeiden parissa.
He works with foodstuffs.
Mémorise-le
Moyen mnémotechnique
Imagine an 'elephant' (eli-) eating a 'tar' (-tar-) flavored 'Vick' (-vike) candy. This bizarre image helps you remember 'elintarvike'.
Association visuelle
Picture a brightly lit grocery store aisle, overflowing with colorful food items. Focus on a specific product, like a bag of bread or a carton of milk, and mentally label it 'elintarvike'. The more sensory details you add (smell of fresh bread, chill of the dairy aisle), the stronger the association.
Word Web
Défi
You're making a shopping list. For each item, try to think if it's an 'elintarvike'. For example, if you're buying 'leipä' (bread), say to yourself: 'Leipä on elintarvike.' (Bread is a foodstuff.) If you're buying a 'kirja' (book), acknowledge: 'Kirja ei ole elintarvike.' (A book is not a foodstuff.) This helps you categorize items.
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsElintarvike is a Finnish noun that means 'foodstuff' or 'grocery product'. It's a general term for anything you eat or drink that's sold in a store.
You can use it like this:
- 'Tämä kauppa myy monia erilaisia elintarvikkeita.' (This shop sells many different foodstuffs.)
- 'Tarvitsen ostaa joitakin elintarvikkeita illalliseksi.' (I need to buy some groceries for dinner.)
It can be both! The singular form is elintarvike, and the plural form is elintarvikkeet (in the nominative case). You'll often see it in the plural when talking about groceries in general.
Ruoka is a more general term for 'food' – it can refer to a meal, ingredients, or food in general. Elintarvike specifically refers to a processed or packaged food product sold in a store. Think of it as 'grocery item' versus 'food'.
Yes, a common phrase is 'elintarvikekauppa' which means 'grocery store' or 'food store'. Another one is 'elintarviketurvallisuus' meaning 'food safety'.
Yes, elintarvike specifically refers to products intended for human consumption. It doesn't include things like cleaning supplies or household items, even if you buy them at a grocery store.
It's pronounced something like 'EH-lin-TAR-vee-keh'. The stress is on the first syllable.
Yes, you can! Fresh vegetables and fruits, when sold in a store, are also considered elintarvikkeita. It's an umbrella term for pretty much anything you'd buy in the food section of a supermarket.
Elintarvike is considered a B2 level word. This means it's a useful word for intermediate to upper-intermediate learners.
It's a neutral, standard word. You'll hear it in everyday conversation and see it in official contexts like product labels or news articles about food.
Teste-toi 12 questions
What do I buy from the store every week?
What kind of foodstuffs are important for a good life?
What should you check on foodstuffs before buying?
Read this aloud:
Tarvitsen ostaa lisää elintarvikkeita viikonloppua varten.
Focus: e-lin-tar-vik-kei-ta
Tu as dit :
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Read this aloud:
Mitkä ovat sinun suosikki elintarvikkeesi?
Focus: e-lin-tar-vik-kee-si
Tu as dit :
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Read this aloud:
Käyn usein torilla ostamassa paikallisia elintarvikkeita.
Focus: e-lin-tar-vik-kei-ta
Tu as dit :
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This sentence describes supermarket shelves being full of various foodstuffs. 'Kaupan' (store's) is followed by 'hyllyt' (shelves), then the verb 'ovat' (are). 'Täynnä' (full) precedes 'erilaisia' (various) and 'elintarvikkeita' (foodstuffs).
The sentence emphasizes the importance of reading the nutritional content of foodstuffs carefully. 'On tärkeää' (It is important) starts the sentence, followed by the infinitive 'lukea' (to read). 'Elintarvikkeiden' (of foodstuffs) precedes 'ravintosisältö' (nutritional content), and 'huolellisesti' (carefully) concludes it.
This sentence states that many foodstuffs now contain additives. 'Monet' (many) modifies 'elintarvikkeet' (foodstuffs). The verb 'sisältävät' (contain) comes next, followed by the adverb 'nykyään' (nowadays) and finally 'lisäaineita' (additives).
/ 12 correct
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