Means of Transportation – Finnish Vocabulary
Below, I’ve compiled a list of words that have to do with means of transportation. In addition to a simple word list, I’ve also included a little bit of grammar concerned with making sentences with these words.
Different types of vehicles
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| liikenne | traffic |
| ajoneuvo | vehicle |
| auto | car |
| henkilöauto | passenger car |
| maastoauto | jeep |
| kuorma-auto | lorry |
| aura-auto | plow car |
| rekka | truck |
| jakelurekka | delivery truck |
| juna | train |
| veturi | locomotive |
| bussi | bus |
| ambulanssi | ambulance |
| paloauto | fire engine |
| kaivuri | excavator |
| maansiirtoauto | dump truck |
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| nosturiauto | crane car |
| betoniauto | concrete truck |
| kauhakuorma-auto | bucket truck |
| raitiovaunu | tram |
| traktori | tractor |
| metro | metro |
| lentokone | airplane |
| helikopteri | helicopter |
| kuumailmapallo | hot air balloon |
| polkupyörä | bicycle |
| pyörä | bike |
| rullaluistimet | roller skates |
| rullalauta | skateboard |
| julkinen liikenne | public transportation |
Spoken Language Words for Vehicles
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| bemari | spoken language for BMW |
| volkkari | spoken language for Volkswagen |
| pösö | spoken language for Peugeot |
| mersu | spoken language for Mercedes Benz |
| sitikka | spoken language for Citroën |
| rellu | spoken language of Renault |
| matukka | spoken language for Mazda |
| paku | spoken language for pakettiauto (van) |
Millä sinä matkustat?
When you do something with the use of a certain object, you use the -lla ending (the adessive case). This happens with means of transportation, but you could for example also say “Minä syön lusikalla“, which would mean “I eat by spoon”, or in better English: “I eat with a spoon”.
The question “Millä sinä matkustat?” already gives away what kind of an answer is expected: the question word millä? is in the same case as the answer should be: the adessive.
| Finnish | English |
|---|---|
| Menen töihin autolla. | I go to work by car. |
| Kuljetan tavaraa kuorma-autolla. | I transport goods with a truck. |
| Menen Kuopioon junalla. | I go to Kuopio by train. |
| Matkustan Tampereelle bussilla. | I travel to Tampere by bus. |
| Menemme kauppaan metrolla. | We go to the store by metro. |
| Matkustan usein lentokoneella. | I often travel by plane. |
| Menen sairaalaan helikopterilla. | I go to the hospital by helicopter. |
| Mene pyörällä kauppaan! | Go to the store with your bike! |
| Menen kotiin kävellen* | I go home by foot. |
Other traffic related articles
I have fairly many other articles at this point which are also related to traffic and transportation! Check these out next:
So, Millä sinä matkustat basically means by what means you are travelling.
Yeps! It’s not proper English, I suppose, but it’s easy to understand 🙂