Sinä is the singular form of 'you' in Finnish, used when talking to one person.
sinä in 30 Seconds
- sinä = you (singular)
- Used for one person
- Basic Finnish pronoun
Often Confused With
The first person singular pronoun, meaning 'I'.
The second person plural pronoun, meaning 'you (all)' or the formal singular 'you'.
A demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this'.
Easily Confused
Often confused with 'sinä' due to similar sound and both being personal pronouns. 'Minä' means 'I', while 'sinä' means 'you'.
minä = I, sinä = you (singular informal)
Minä syön. (I eat.) Sinä syöt. (You eat.)
Can be confused because both 'sinä' and 'te' refer to 'you'. However, 'te' is either the plural 'you' or the formal singular 'you'.
sinä = you (singular informal), te = you (plural or singular formal)
Te olette ystäviä. (You all are friends.) Voitteko auttaa minua? (Could you [formal singular] help me?)
Sounds somewhat similar to 'sinä' and both are short words. 'Tämä' is a demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this'.
sinä = you, tämä = this
Tämä on kynä. (This is a pen.) Sinä otat kynän. (You take the pen.)
Phonetically similar, especially for new learners. 'Sana' means 'word'.
sinä = you, sana = word
Mitä sana tarkoittaa? (What does the word mean?) Sinä tiedät vastauksen. (You know the answer.)
Very similar in sound to 'sinä'. 'Siinä' is an adposition meaning 'in it' or 'there'.
sinä = you, siinä = in it/there
Kissa on siinä. (The cat is in it / there.) Sinä näet kissan. (You see the cat.)
Test Yourself 6 questions
Which word means 'you'?
In Finnish, 'sinä' is the informal singular pronoun for 'you'.
Choose the correct pronoun for 'you' (singular, informal):
'Sinä' is used when talking to one person informally, like a friend or family member.
Which of these sentences uses 'sinä' correctly?
'Sinä puhut' means 'You speak'. The other options use different pronouns.
'Sinä' is a formal way to say 'you' in Finnish.
'Sinä' is an informal pronoun. The formal or plural 'you' is 'te'.
If you are talking to one friend, you would use 'sinä'.
'Sinä' is used for informal, singular 'you'.
The word 'sinä' refers to 'we'.
'Sinä' means 'you' (singular, informal). 'We' is 'me'.
/ 6 correct
Perfect score!
Summary
Sinä is the singular form of 'you' in Finnish, used when talking to one person.
- sinä = you (singular)
- Used for one person
- Basic Finnish pronoun
