eiköhän

Finnish

Etymology

eikö (indicating a negative question) +‎ -hän (indicating uncertainty)

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈei̯køhæn/, [ˈe̞i̯k̟ø̞ɦæn]
  • Rhymes: -eikøhæn
  • Syllabification(key): ei‧kö‧hän

Adverb

eiköhän

  1. Indicates that the speaker thinks the following proposition is possible or desirable, a bit like in the English expression "why don't we..".
    Eiköhän mennä jonnekin syömään? --Eiköhän se onnistu.
    Let's go somewhere to eat. --I don't see why it would not be possible.
  2. Indicates hesitation.
    Kuinka monta olutta joit? -Eiköhän se ollut kahdeksan.
    How many beers did you drink? -I'd believe I had eight.
    Ketä on pidetty vankina Elballa ja St. Helenalla? --Eiköhän se ole Napoleon?
    Who has been held prisoner on Elba and on St. Helena? --It's Napoleon, isn't it?

Usage notes

As can be seen from the examples, there's no one English translation for eiköhän. The translation depends very much on the idea the speaker wants to convey.

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