Hi Anna!
Hei works in any message, work email included. Moi is chattier.
Concept
Short message phrases
A short Finnish message has three fixed parts: an opening, a closing and often a wish. Each is a set phrase you learn whole, and one question explains their endings: what is the line doing? A wish takes the partitive (Hyvää matkaa!), “let’s” is the passive (Nähdään!), a sign-off keeps the old instructive -in, “with” (Terveisin), and an address stays in the basic form (Hyvä Maria!).
Model
The model
Wishing or sending
partitiiviEvery wish is the object of an unspoken Toivotan sinulle… (“I wish you…”). Luck, a good trip or a nice holiday has no fixed amount, so it takes the partitive. Everyday greetings follow the same frame: Hyvää huomenta, Hyvää päivää.
Signing off
instruktiiviThis is the instructive case. Terveisin means “with greetings”, and adjectives agree with it: parhain, ystävällisin. Toivottaen is the verb version, meaning “while wishing”.
Suggesting
passiiviIn everyday Finnish the passive stands in for the me form, so me nähdään means “we’ll see each other”. On its own, as a suggestion, it means “let’s”. It is the same form as in Suomessa juodaan paljon kahvia (“People drink a lot of coffee in Finland”).
Addressing or describing
perusmuotoAn address or a description wishes nothing, so it stays in the basic form: Hyvä Maria! calls Maria “dear”, Hyvä matka! says the trip is good.
Builds on The partitive, The passive, The instructive.
Taught in Lyhyen viestin kirjoittaminen.
Aloitus
Opening
Finnish usually ends the greeting with “!” where English uses a comma.
Hey Eki!informal
Dear friend!
Hyvä (literally “good”) is the everyday “Dear”, and it works formally too: Hyvä asiakas means “Dear customer”. Rakas (“beloved”) is for people close to you.
My dear friend!informal
Lopetus
Closing
A sign-off takes no comma. It sits on its own line, with your name on the line below.
Regards
Best regards
Kind regardsformal
Ystävällisin terveisin is the standard sign-off for formal email. Literally “with kindest greetings”.
Talk soon!informal
Literally “let’s call now and then”. It is friendly and vague, not a promise to actually call. The -el- of soitella is what makes it light and open-ended: “let’s call sometime” rather than “let’s call”.
See you again!
Nähdään! on its own is the everyday “See you!”
Hope to see you soon!
We’ll get back to this!
Palataan asiaan!We’ll get back to this!
Palataan asiaan (literally “let’s return to the matter”) is how a work email says “I’ll get back to you on this”. Palata takes the illative: asia becomes asiaan. Palaillaan is the relaxed “catch you later”, with the same light -il- as soitellaan.
Talk later!informal
Wishing you all the bestformal
Literally “wishing (you) a good continuation”. Hyvää jatkoa! on its own is a very common goodbye, in shops too.
Say hi to your family
Perheellesi is perhee-, the stem of perhe, plus -lle (“to”) and -si (“your”).
Toivotuksia
Wishes
Almost every wish here is in the partitive. The patterns section explains why.
Take care!
Literally “be well”, from voida hyvin.
Get well soon!
The same wish twice: first an imperative verb, then a noun phrase in the partitive. The noun version suits a card or a colleague.
Speedy recovery!
Have a good trip!
Have a nice holiday!
Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Literally “a good continuation of the summer”. Swap the season for the rest of the year: Hyvää syksyn jatkoa!
Enjoy your work!
Literally “joy of work”. You say it to someone starting a job or heading off to work. English has no neat equivalent.
All the best to you!
Good luck in your new home!
Onnea uuteen kotiin!Good luck in your new home!
Onnea takes the illative, because the wish goes “into” the new thing. The same frame gives Onnea uuteen työhön! (“Good luck in your new job!”).
Congratulations on your birthday!formal
Onneksi olkoon is literally “may it be for (your) happiness”, and X:n johdosta means “on the occasion of X”. With friends, say Hyvää syntymäpäivää! or Paljon onnea!
Please come again!
Toiste (“another time”) + -kin (“too”). You’ll see it on shop doors and receipts.
Watch out
Traps
- Hyvä Maria! is an address, so it stays in the basic form. Only what you wish takes the partitive: Hyvää matkaa!
- Terveisin signs off (“with greetings”); Terveisiä perheellesi sends greetings to someone.
- A greeting ends with “!” where English has a comma, and a sign-off takes no comma at all.
Retrieval
Practice
Every item from every lesson that practises this concept, spaced like the rest of your reviews.
18 sentences across every lesson.
Spacing
Coming back
Do a practice round today, then come back in two days. Missed items return first.