Essential Finnish phrases for Kela, the doctor and school
Booking a doctor’s appointment, calling 116117, talking to Kela, the pharmacy and your child’s teacher.
Key takeaways
- Polite requests use the conditional: Voisitteko…? and Haluaisin…
- Book a doctor’s appointment with: Haluaisin varata ajan lääkärille.
- Call 116117 for urgent but non-life-threatening health problems and 112 in an emergency.
- You can ask for an interpreter: Tarvitsen tulkin.
Phrases that work everywhere
- Hei! / Päivää! – Hello! / Good day!
- Puhutteko englantia? – Do you speak English?
- Voisitteko puhua hitaammin? – Could you speak more slowly?
- Voisitteko toistaa? – Could you repeat that?
- En ymmärrä. Mitä tämä tarkoittaa? – I don’t understand. What does this mean?
- Tarvitsen tulkin. – I need an interpreter.
- Kiitos avusta! – Thanks for your help!
At the health centre and the doctor’s
- Haluaisin varata ajan lääkärille. – I’d like to book a doctor’s appointment.
- Olen ollut sairaana kolme päivää. – I have been ill for three days.
- Minulla on kuumetta / päänsärkyä. – I have a fever / a headache.
- Minulla on ajanvaraus kello kymmenen. – I have an appointment at ten.
- Kuinka usein tätä lääkettä otetaan? – How often is this medicine taken?
For urgent but non-life-threatening problems you can call the medical helpline 116117. In an emergency always call 112.
At the pharmacy
- Minulla on resepti. – I have a prescription.
- Onko teillä jotain flunssaan? – Do you have something for a cold?
- Minulla ei ole allergioita. – I don’t have any allergies.
Kela and employment services
- Haluaisin kysyä asumistuesta. – I’d like to ask about housing allowance.
- Mitä liitteitä hakemukseen tarvitaan? – Which attachments does the application need?
- Olen työnhakija. – I am a job seeker.
- Haluaisin osallistua suomen kielen kurssille. – I’d like to take a Finnish course.
Since 2025 employment services in Finland are provided by municipalities, so your local office may use the name työllisyyspalvelut.
School, daycare and Wilma
- Lapseni on tänään kipeänä. – My child is ill today.
- Miten lapseni pärjää koulussa? – How is my child doing at school?
- Voinko auttaa kotona jotenkin? – Can I help at home somehow?
- Luin viestin Wilmasta. – I read the message in Wilma.
Wilma is the system many Finnish schools use to message parents, so reading short Finnish messages quickly is a real-life skill.
Practise before the real call
Reading phrases is a good start, but phone calls happen fast. In SimuCoach you can role-play each of these situations out loud: the partner answers like a real receptionist, nurse or teacher, and you get feedback afterwards. That way the real call is not your first try.
Questions and answers
How do I say “I don’t understand” in Finnish?
Say “En ymmärrä.” To ask someone to slow down, say “Voisitteko puhua hitaammin?”
How do I book a doctor’s appointment in Finnish?
Call your health centre and say “Haluaisin varata ajan lääkärille.” Then explain briefly what the problem is and how long you have had it.
Written and fact-checked by the SimuCoach team at Simulingo.
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