Difference Between A & Ä | Finnish Pronunciation Tips

In this Finnish video lesson, I will go over the difference in pronouncing A & Ä.
📝 S U M M A R Y:
⚬ A - Pronounce it like the a in "mall"
⚬ Ä - Pronounce it like the a in "cat"
♡ 📷 S O C I A L M E D I A🐥 ♡
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Thank you for watching!
♥ KatChats ♥

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Only one video this week as my motivation has been a bit low, heart has been feeling heavy this week 💙💛

[@andriinechyporuk4569]

Kiitos!

[@phvaguiar]

🇺🇦❤️

[@MGVK2277]

It's okay, take care ❤️❤️❤️ And I know how you feel, I also have been feeling a bit down recently :(

[@merclangrat]

It's okay now (unfortunately). I can't concentrate too. take care of yourself :)

[@jcpana060959]

I know.

[@Ararechan74]

Who is here after trying to understand which journalists are pronouncing Käärijä correctly?(and thank YOU for this video! It's fascinating!)

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Haha awesome! Thank you :)

[@Dzingzing]

​@@KatChatsFinnishwhat?

[@ehsankhan1244]

kiitos kat! you are making Finnish easier for us (y)

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Wow so happy to hear that, kiitos paljon! :)

[@dianalauralopezdelgado6770]

This is so so helpful. As a native spanish speaker I was always taught that I only have to pronounce just as I do in spanish, so at first when I started wathching your video I was kind of suspicious, but the more I listend the more made sense and your pronunciation actually sounds like when I hear I a native. Also after knowing the difference between these two its easier to say words where a and ä come one after the other. So thank you so much!

[@ZnamTwojaMama101]

These vowels have been causing me much confusion, kiitos, Kat

[@xololomejor]

Excellent video. Kiitos!

[@jazzbeau507]

Yes, I have requested this topic in the past as well from this channel.

[@tienthanh8681]

Thank you so much!

[@kaveewongputchong7978]

This is helping me a lot. Thank you Kat. Kiitos ❤

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Kiitos! :)

[@norbertonunez1878]

todella auttaa! kiitos!

[@GoodMorningButch]

I was hoping for compound words to practice this! Thank you so much, very helpful video.

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Perfect! Kiitos paljon! :D

[@johnfloyd9288]

Kat is clear and sharp. Lift up your heart and let your troubles be gone!

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Kiitos :)

[@merclangrat]

Kiitos paljon Kat! it is very very useful, I had this problem too in understanding the difference.

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Great! :D Happy to know it was helpful!

[@jennyrose9617]

Thank you so much .I've been learning finnish and your videos are helping me a lot..new subscriber here..❤

[@diesteffi6350]

Kiitos Kat! I've been learning finnish language since about 9 months but still I have trouble to hear the difference between the letter "e" and "ä" in spoken finnish🙈. My first language is german. And in german you pronounce the letter "ä" more like the finnish "e" 🤣. So I already understand pretty much when I read something in finnish. But when Finns speak, I'm out 😂. Please keep on making your videos! They're so helpful, funny and you're a really good teacher 😊🙏👍

[@mrj.kottari8453]

Yes, Deutsch Ä is like halfway between Finnish "ä" and "e". In swedish also, Ä is usually pronounced like "E" except in certain few words where it's pronounced 'clearly Ä' just like in Finnish

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Oh no hope it's not too confusing! Little by little I believe you will be able to differentiate it! Just do a lot of listening practice to get your mind used to how Finnish sounds :) And thank you so much for the lovely comment, I really appreciate it :D

[@andreabrennan6594]

Finally a really simple clear solution for those of us who couldn't make headway on the a and ä!

[@mlivjuskla5571]

Thank you for making this video. It was very helpful.

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Really happy to hear that, kiitos!

[@HenryLi2024]

Kittos kat!It is great video❤

[@whiterabbit1686]

you are such a good teacher!!! thanks

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Kiitos paljon ^-^

[@myraslavacholo4908]

thank u ♡

[@carts1378]

thank you

[@chappychapula]

This is my favorite channel so far

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Wow thank you so much, kiitos!

[@debbieprince7622]

Thank you so much for this video, Kat! Your videos are always so helpful and I appreciate them so much! I'm wondering if you could give me some feedback on how I've been thinking about the A, O, and U, and let me know if I'm on the right track. I've been thinking of these vowels as "tongue-depressor" vowels...like the torture devices they have at the doctor's office and threaten to use if you don't give them a proper "ahhh" when they want to get a good look at your tonsils. I just imagine having to pull my tongue down in the back whenever I say those 3 letters, and when I say their front counterparts (Ä, Ö, Y), I just let the back of my tongue relax. Does that make sense?

[@franciscojosedasilva2802]

Amazing. Kiitos

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Kiitos!

[@enawakaperara727]

Thank you very much

[@HenryLi2024]

Kittos paljon!

[@zakyhaydari6230]

Kiitoksia paljon 😊

[@learnenglishwithgkids1221]

I love your style ❤

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Kiitos!

[@polousnazir5670]

Wonderful 👍

[@NguyenHoang-hg2ur]

fantastic video!

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Kiitos!

[@phvaguiar]

Amazing, thanks

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Kiitos!

[@afgraves1]

Kiitos! I’ve had this backwards thanks for clearing it up.

[@KatChatsFinnish]

I'm glad it helped :D

[@alexvillamizart]

E. Aprendido mucho de tu cultura y idioma contigo gracias saludos desde Venezuela

[@rosnsubedi2872]

The English pronunciation of the letter A in words like "cat" and "hat" is not exactly the same as the Finnish pronunciation of the letter Ä. While they share some similarities, there are distinct differences in their articulation. I am currently learning Finnish

[@jacksonamaral329]

good lesson.

[@NetAndyCz]

Finally, I was looking forward to this, these two letters keep confusing me. Thank you for the video. In Czech we just have one "a" and I think it is pronounced somewhere between Finnish A and Ä. I am used to 5 vowels, so I struggle with things that are not familiar to my native ears. It really helped me to hear "A" and "Ä" next to each other. Kiitos!

[@murissantos]

In Portuguese too! I always practice Ä using the english words

[@MGVK2277]

"ä" is a letter also used in Slovak, but the pronounciation is like a regular "e"

[@MGVK2277]

Also, don't you also have an "á"?

[@NetAndyCz]

@@MGVK2277 Yes, we have long vowels just like Finnish, but it is the same sound, just longer. That is something I do not struggle with:)

[@mrj.kottari8453]

@@MGVK2277 In swedish also, Ä is pronounced just like plain E ..except in some certain words where it's pronounced like Ä in Finnish

[@flong9033]

Just discovered your Chanel after relocating to Finland: It will help me Kiiti

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Wow I hope you enjoy your time in Finland! Welcome to my channel :)

[@sainbainauu2784]

흥미로운 주제였습니다 고맙습니다👍

[@KatChatsFinnish]

감사합니다 :)

[@JuanPablo-wt7gs]

i am a spanish native speaker and, curiuosly, finish Ä sounds like "a" en "casa", gato", and we do not have a sound like finish "A" (something between A and O, i hear). Thanks for this lesson, by the way. Exelente como siemrpe!

[@jcpana060959]

I think our A in Spanish is in between the Finnish A and Ä, more like Ä but not as pronounced as theirs.

[@nawaratn3588]

I am starting to learn finnish and your videos are very (Very) helpful. Thank you so much Kat. And may I know the track name of the music you put at the end of this video. Just loving it!

[@KatChatsFinnish]

It's from the youtube audio library - a song called "momo do" :D

[@nawaratn3588]

@@KatChatsFinnish Oh! so satisfying to listen to it until the end... Thank you so much. Kittos for so many videos, much effective in learning finnish.

[@Sjdishh37ehtu]

Hei, Kiitos :)

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Kiitos :)

[@helloimhellio]

Great

[@insomniacflyboy]

Would it be possible to do a video explaining the different color jumpsuits with patches I see around Helsinki and Turku on certain holidays and throughout the summer? If you have already touched on that one can you please let me know which episode? Thank you.

[@mrj.kottari8453]

You mean teekkarihaalarit? (College Student Overalls) In polytechnical school (it's like technical college, tertiary education) students get themselves colorful overalls (sort of jumpsuit) to wear when partying out. Different sectors/branches of the school have different colors as their crest/emblem so you can recognize student of certain course/branch from the color of their suit. The patches are "prizes" from student games and competitions at campus, and student clubs have their own canvas patches with a logo, too. Senior year polytech students usually have like half of their jumpsuit's surface covered in those "reward" patches 😂 Nowadays some university student clubs also have adopted this overalls/jumpsuit tradition but it originally started among Polytechnical College students in 1970s

[@KatChatsFinnish]

This channel has a good video about it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5vMo2x_pNBrba8 I never had a "haalari" as they are called so I only know the basics of them

[@Ketumak]

Thanks, Kat. I needed this video. I'm first language English, so as you say, I make the distinction in that language. In the past though, I've only ever learn languages that lack this feature so when I'm in language learning mode, I struggle to make the distinction.

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Happy that this video was helpful for you! Kiitos paljon! :)

[@mariosantana6784]

I am here after i found that Tolkirn based elfic language (quenya) on finnish. I want to be able to read Kalevala. Greetings from Colombia. Thanks a lot!

[@KatChatsFinnish]

That's so interesting! :D

[@mariosantana6784]

@@KatChatsFinnish It is, you should check "Aragorn song" on youtube. By the way, you look gorgeous!

[@healthequilibrium6548]

Good job! I have been struggling with it. Can you teach on how to pronounce: Oo Öo Y, j and u

[@shatterthemirror8563]

I think ä, a is pretty easy. What I don't get is whether "ö" sounds more like in "but" or like in "boot" or whether "y" is more like in "boot" or as in "butte". Then that just leaves whether "u" like one of the above or something else.

[@ryyb_himself]

Ö is kinda like the vowel in "herd" or "sir". Y is kinda like the vowel in "crew" or (at the end of) "new"; yes, the sound exists in "butte" too. The sound in "smooth" or "move" is pretty much exactly the Finnish U.

[@mrj.kottari8453]

@@ryyb_himself Ö is the I in "bird" and "sir" Y is same as deutsch Ü, so it's good idea to listen audio clips for "München" or "führer" to hear how it's said. Y also close to the sound of "eww"

[@juniorcarrillo9714]

olet kaunis kat..., grettings from lima peru, i am also trying to learn finnish by duolingo, is very difficult but im learning,,,,

[@Herbert-tp7hs]

The letter ä in Finnish is very similar to the Spanish a, but the Finnish a is difficult. Is it pronounced at the rear of the mouth?

[@WilhelmPetersen]

What the difference between the a with two dots above it and á? Sorry I don't know the correct terms

[@MrGunnar69]

I think you pronounce words with ää differently from the word with ä. When you say "säätila" it sounds more like ä in Swedish and when you say "epäaito" it sounds more like ae. Ae became ä in the Scandinavian languages, it can be seen when you see how the Norwegians and the drunks write ä. Also aa became å and oe became ö.

[@Anakunus]

She does not. The only difference is in their length.

[@heyymari_]

I've noticed the lazy speaker watching more vids/listening to podcast even though for the most part I don't understand it does help!

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Yes it happens xD

[@fzpe856]

This kind of thing exists in Hungarian too.

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Oh wow!

[@Bro-vp4lq]

Well get to fluent level one day, thank you for the video.

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Yes you will !

[@foeniksnesz]

Hei! Now that you are talking about pronunciation, I’m not sure if you’ve ever made a video about the sound of finnish “s”. I notice it’s not pronounced the same as English or other common languages. I think I hear some “sh” but not quite actually. It would be great to get your input on that, you being a native speaker. Kiitos paljon for your videos. 👌🏻

[@KatChatsFinnish]

I made an alphabet video where I went over the whole alphabet one by one (if you've seen that?) but I've not made a video specifically for the letter s. That's interesting to hear from your perspective though since I've never thought much about the letter s!

[@moekaykhine4633]

Yo :yo :❤️👌

[@cheikhniang2737]

🤩😍🥰

[@williamshin7939]

Hyvaa~!!!!

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Kiitos!

[@cosimoleone9110]

Thanks for your valuable advice but the difference is so slight, expecially when finnish people talk too fast. And I also know that a mispronounced "A" or "Ä" can change the meaning of the entire word. I really don't know how they understand each other😅😅😅

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Yeah that's true haha. You have to keep practicing listening so that your mind will slowly start to recognize the Finnish pronunciation and the slight differences. It'll come with time if you keep practicing. I believe in you!! :D

[@julian5742]

I'll say that I've ignored the difference between ä and a for a long time, I could read sentences well. Now that I know the difference I'm back to zero, like when I had to stop everytime I came across j and y, because they sounded so different for me. Finnish ä sounds like my a and Finnish a sounds kinda like my ó 😅

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Hahah oh no, hope it's not too confusing!

[@madsbuhris]

Whattabout Å? Greetings from Åbo, Finlands oldest town!

[@nightshadespectre409]

Å in Finnish is only used in loanwords and surnames from other Scandinavian languages that use it more frequently. The same way accents from other European languages are used in English: ie. Jalapeño, Façade, Café, Naïve, Noël, Doppelgänger, Crème, etc…

[@madsbuhris]

@@nightshadespectre409 Å is an official letter in Finland since swedish is an official language in Finland.

[@nightshadespectre409]

@@madsbuhris Makes sense.

[@PaulVinonaama]

@@nightshadespectre409 And the only loanword where it exists is, I believe. ångström.

[@fab4366]

näin väärin = I saw wrong nain vaarin = I married grandpapa näin vaarin = I saw grandpapa nain väärin = I married wrong

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Hahahahhaha!! So easy right xD

[@fab4366]

Dots are meaningful and pronunciation as well.

[@PaulVinonaama]

Also, nain väärin = I fucked the wrong way.

[@MariamaTrawallyjarjue]

Hi, I have been following you for 2 years now, though not everyday. Today i join because I want to be able to speak finish. I know few words and I try in conjugating on them, but I can't speak or understand when someone speak to me. I need you help because my Job do to allow give me time to Attended classes.

[@KatChatsFinnish]

If there is anything I can do to try and help please let me know! Hope the workbooks will be helpful and thank you so much for joining!

[@gorovjioum5572]

29.10.2023 Tervehdin sinua Puolasta Yksin opiskelen suomea ja minulla on kysymys Mitä se tarkoittaa ,, ei (sillä-?) voi mitään" Sana sillä??- mikä tämä tarkoittaa. Dziękuję/kiitos.Vielä yksi kysymys mista sinä olet kotoisin?

[@indigopurrp]

A is O?

[@robertobreve8623]

What about apua it doesn’t sound like the mall a it’s more like the latin a or the a in car

[@KatChatsFinnish]

I guess it depends on your pronunciation in English xD In Finnish all letter A's are pronounced the exact same. So every single word that has an A in it - the A should sound the same (unlike in English the letter A can sound a bit different depending on what word it's in).

[@tamperetexsas8727]

What is the difference between vaan and mutta?

[@mrj.kottari8453]

vaan = dialectal variation of 'vain' (just, only) mutta = but

[@PaulVinonaama]

Both can mean "but", but they are used in different contexts. Vaan is only used after negative expressions to correct something, for example: ei siellä ole kylmä vaan kuuma = it is not cold but hot there.

[@David-gn5rp]

How is it that you have a flawless American accent? I'm British BTW so I might be wrong ...

[@KatChatsFinnish]

I’m half American haha

[@GypsieSeeker]

💙💛

[@cuparra]

So, what's the difference between A and O in Finnsh?

[@NetAndyCz]

I guess O is more rounded and closed...

[@KatChatsFinnish]

I do also have an alphabet video where I go over all the letters in the Finnish alphabet :D

[@moekaykhine4633]

A:. Oy:. Uz:3 💓👌

[@robertobreve8623]

Oh ah oh ah oh ah

[@tamperetexsas8727]

Oh boy

[@sharifgholami2424]

Kiitoksia tästä hyödyllistä selityksestäsi.

[@KatChatsFinnish]

Kiitos!

[@botigamer9011]

I had it all wrong... I had assumed that ä would be just like in German... clearly I'm an idiot

[@FinBoyXD]

I think your A examples were not very good. It depends on accent way more, and I would say all of the 4 examples at 3:00 with something closer to an O instead of an A. It's probably somewhere between them, but I think it's closer to O still: Mool, fool, tool, bool etc. Otherwise good examples.

[@moekaykhine4633]

A & A :

[@watchmakerful]

Is "A" in Finnish rounded? "A" in English "mall" is definitely rounded.

[@papi_dummy]

if you're an american english speaker like me, try to pronounce ä in the way a californian says hat or rat or cat en.wikipedia.org/wiki//%C3%A6/_raising < this page has some good audio examples of different ways we realize the "ä" sound in english. the unraised version is far closer to the finnish ä. you might not realize that the way you say it is different until you pay close attention

[@papi_dummy]

it's a bit like how in english we add "u" to the end of "o" and we often don't realize it 😄 i remember being astonished that swedish people say the letter "o" like "u" until i realized my native language also has an "u" sound in the "o"