Syödä and Eating – Closely-Related Verbs
November 4, 2019
September 1, 2024
There is a super large amount of words related to syödä “eating”. In this article, we’ll go over some of the verbs you could be using to express that you’re eating, as well as go over some verbs that express HOW you’re eating. In addition, we will be looking at more abstract uses of the verb syödä.
Table of Contents
- Syödä – Eating
- Ruoka-aika – Meal time
- Ahmiminen – Greedy eating
- Ruoan pureskelu – Chewing food
- Muita verbejä – Other verbs
- Eläimet – Animals
- Syödä – Eating – Abstract uses
- Sayings with the verb syödä
1. Syödä – Eating
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| syödä | to eat |
| syödä hyvin | to eat a nice meal |
| syödä liikaa | to overeat |
| syödä tarpeeksi | to eat enough |
| syödä lautanen tyhjäksi | to clear one’s plate |
| syödä loppuun | to finish eating |
| syödä ulkona | to eat out |
| syödä kotona | to eat at home |
| syödä kylläiseksi | to eat one’s fill |
| syödä kyllikseen | to eat one’s fill |
| syödä eväitä | to eat food brought from home |
| syödä vatsansa täyteen | to fill one’s stomach |
| syödä aamupalaksi muroja | to eat cereal for breakfast |
| syödä kunnon ateria | to eat a proper meal |
| syödä terveellisesti | to eat healthily |
| syödä epäterveellisesti | to eat unhealthily |
| syödä hyvällä ruokahalulla | to eat with a good appetite |
| syödä e-pillereitä | to take birth control |
| syödä D-vitamiinia | to take D-vitamins |
| syödä lääkkeitä | to take one’s medicine |
| syödä kynsiä | to bite one’s nails |
| syödä kuin lintu | to eat like a bird (not much) |
| syödä kuin hevonen | to eat like a horse (a lot) |
| syödä puikoilla | to eat with chopsticks |
| syödä lusikalla | to eat with a spoon |
2. Ruoka-Aika – Meal Time
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| aterioida | to eat a meal |
| nauttia ateria | to have a meal |
| ruokailla | to have a meal |
| illastaa | to have dinner |
| illallistaa | to dine |
| syödä aamiaista | to eat breakfast |
| aamiaistaa | to have breakfast |
| syödä lounasta | to eat lunch |
| lounastaa | to have lunch |
| syödä välipalaa | to eat a snack |
| syödä iltapalaa | to eat an evening snack |
| syödä päivällistä | to eat dinner |
| syödä ilallista | to eat a fancy dinner |
| murkinoida | to eat a meal (spoken) |
3. Ahmininen – Greedy Eating
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| Syödä ahneesti | To eat greedily |
| ahmia | to gulp down |
| ahmaista | to gulp down |
| hotkia | to wolf down quickly |
| hotkaista | to gobble up without chewing |
| mässäillä | to gobble up lot of good food |
| mättää ruokaa suuhun | to shovel food in your mouth |
| syöpötellä | to binch, overindulge |
| popsia | to eat bite-size things greedily |
| napostella | to snack (e.g. pähkinöitä) |
| natustella | to munch (e.g. potato chips) |
4. Ruoan pureskelu – Chewing food
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| jauhaa | to chew |
| pureskella | to chew (e.g. bubble gum) |
| pureksia | to chew repeatedly |
| haukata | to bite a piece off |
| mutustaa | to chew slowly |
| mutustella | to chew slowly |
| natustaa | to eat by chewing slowly |
| nakertaa | to nibble, eat with small bites |
| rouskutella | to munch repeatedly |
5. Muita Verbejä – Other Verbs
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| syöttää lusikalla | to feed with a spoon |
| imeä | to suck |
| imeskellä | suck (e.g. lollipop) |
| niellä | to swallow |
| maistaa | to taste |
| dipata | to dip |
| laihduttaa | to be on a diet |
| maiskutella | to eat in a noisy manner |
| safkata | to eat (spoken) |
| tyydyttää nälkänsä | to satisfy one’s hunger |
| herkutella | to feast |
| röyhtäistä | to burp |
| sulattaa | to digest |
| ravita | to nourish |
| käydä piknikillä | to go on a picnic |
| käydä pöytään | to go to the table |
| käydä käsiksi ateriaan | to tackle a meal |
6. Eläimet – Animals
Below, you can find some verbs related to feeding animals and the ways animals eat.
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| ruokkia linnut | to feed the birds |
| antaa ruokaa | to give food |
| kaluta | to gnaw (e.g. a bone) |
| nokkia | to peck |
| märehtiä | to chew, ruminate |
| nakertaa | to gnaw (e.g. a hole) |
| näykkiä | to nibble (e.g. as a fish) |
| käyttää ravintonaan | to feed on |
7. Syödä – Eating – Abstract Uses
In the table below, I’ve focused on more abstract uses of syödä.
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| Epävarmuus syö minua sisältä. | Uncertainty eats me from inside. |
| Koulu syö vapaa-aikani. | Work eats my free time. |
| Kulut syövät lentoyhtiöiden tulosta. | The costs eat the airlines’ profit. |
| Auto syö vähemmän polttoainetta. | The car consumes less fuel. |
| Inflaatio syö säästöjä. | Inflation eats savings. |
| S-market on syönyt pikkukaupat. | S-market has supplanted small shops. |
8. Sayings with the verb syödä
- Syödä jonkun kädestä.
Literally: “To eat from someone’s hand.”
Meaning: To react submissively, gullibly to someone’s words. - Syödä sanansa.
Literally: “To eat one’s word.”
Meaning: To break one’s promise OR to retract one’s statements. - Syödä jotakuta silmillään.
Literally: “To eat someone with one’s eyes.”
Meaning: To stare at someone greedily, lustfully, steadfastly. - Syödä niin, että napa naukkuu.
Literally: “To eat thus that the belly button squeaks.”
Meaning: To overeat, stuff one’s face. - Syön vanhan hattuni, ellen ole oikeassa.
Literally: “I will eat my old hat, if I’m not right.”
Meaning: I’m absolutely certain I’m right. - Aikainen lintu mato syö.
Literally: “The early bird eats the worm.”
Meaning: It pays off to turn up early. - Rohkea rokan syö.
Literally: “The brave person eats the pea soup.”
Meaning: He who dares to try will enjoy the results. - Kenen leipää syöt, sen lauluja laulat.
Literally: “Whose bread you eat, their songs you’ll sing.”
Meaning: Do what is in the best interest of the person who takes care of you. - Nopeat syövät hitaat.
Literally: “The quick eat the slow.”
Meaning: You should act quickly. - Syödessä nälkä kasvaa.
Literally: “While eating, hunger grows.”
Meaning: When you get a taste of something, you want more of it. - Aprillia, syö silliä, juo suolavettä/kuravettä päälle.
Literally: “April Fools, eat herring, drink salt water / muddy water.”
Meaning: Rhyme said when fooling someone on April Fool’s
That’s it for verbs related to syödä “eating”. Hopefully you learned something new, regardless of what level you are currently at! We have many articles related to food on the vocabulary page!
How would you say to feed someone? Like a baby or a patient? Is it ruokkia as well, as for the birds?
Thanks!
That’s syöttää:
Thanks for the question! 🙂
Whenever food is ready, my mother in law will not say Syödään. Instead she says Syömään. It drives me nuts because I can’t figure out why she’d use the 3rd illative infinitive over the passive form, in this case “Let’s eat”.
Interesting remark! Yes, with “syömään”, you will call people using the -maan form. It’s no so much “let’s eat”, it’s “come eat”, with an omitted “tule”. She might say “Syödään!” when you’re all sitting around the table, chatting, but nobody has taken any food yet. “No niin, syödään!” “Alright, let’s eat!”
“Nukkumaan” and “nukutaan” are another pair: a mother can call her children saying “nukkumaan!” much like your mother-in-law with “syömään” – “time for bed, come sleep”. “Nukutaan” is less common, even when both people are in bed, and it’s time to turn the light off and go to sleep, “mennään nukkumaan” works better than “nukutaan”. Probably because you can’t fall asleep that suddenly.
Yes, thanks for that. I was still quite early in my studies and had never made the connection that tule was dropped that whole entire time.