sanonko mikä

[Satish]

I was watching the Finnish film Valkoinen Kaupunki and there was this statement:

Mä en tajua...Ihanat lapset, mutta nainen on... sanonko mikä

Google translate says that sanonko mikä means so-and-so but somehow it just does not fit. I have seen other forms on google such as:

No voi nyt sanonko mikä...
Tuosta naamarista tulee mieleen, sanonko mikä; en taida sanoa.
jne..

Thanks for help on this one!

[Jukka Aho]

I was watching the Finnish film Valkoinen Kaupunki and there was this statement:

Mä en tajua...Ihanat lapset, mutta nainen on... sanonko mikä

Literally “I don’t get it... Lovely kids, but the woman is... do I (need to) say what (she is)?”

Meaning: “Do you even want me to say aloud what [kind of a person] I think she is?” (Saying it aloud is probably not necessary as you can pretty much guess my thoughts from the context... and if you can’t, and I actually need to say it aloud, it’s certainly not going to be anything nice or flattering!)

No voi nyt sanonko mikä...

“Oh... do I [need to] say [aloud] what [expletive I have in my mind at the moment]...”

Compare to:

“No voi nyt [expletive]!”

...which is a common pattern of cursing, especially in situations where you suddenly realize that something unfortunate and unexpected has happened...

Tuosta naamarista tulee mieleen, sanonko mikä; en taida sanoa.

“That mask reminds me of... do I say what [improper/impolite association I have on my mind]; I think I’m not going to.” (Better not go there...)

[Satish]

Okay! I think I get it... Let me try now..

Halusin keittää creme brulee käyttämällä resepti Internetistä ja se homma meni..sanonko mikä (eli päin mäntyä).

Did I get it the feeling right??

[Pursuivant]

you're on the money

[EP]

Except it is more like "päin pers*ttä" than "päin mäntyä".

[Jukka Aho]

Okay! I think I get it... Let me try now..

Halusin keittää creme brulee käyttämällä resepti Internetistä ja se homma meni..sanonko mikä (eli päin mäntyä).

Did I get it the feeling right??

Yes, but you should include the word päin as päin is not the actual “bad word” you’d want to “mask”.

....se homma meni päin... sanonko mitä.

Also note that the preposition päin calls for the partitive case... hence mitä.

Since mänty is not a particularly bad word, most listeners would probably assume you mean päin persettä, or something to that effect.

As for the first part of the sentence, I’d probably use something like:

Halusin tehdä crème brûléen Internetistä löytämäni reseptin mukaan, mutta...
Halusin tehdä crème brûléen Internetistä löytämääni ohjetta noudattaen, mutta...

Google seems to suggest that crème brûlée is actually called paahtovanukas in Finnish although the French term is used as well. If you don’t want to use the generic verb tehdä, making a crème brûlée is probably properly called “baking” (paistaa) rather than “cooking” (keittää) as this dessert is prepared in oven.

[Pursuivant]

No jos hä se keitti ni ilmankos men perseelteen...

[j.petsku]

making a crème brûlée is probably properly called “baking” (paistaa) rather than “cooking” (keittää) as this dessert is prepared in oven.

Just an aside here:

Are there different words in finnish for frying (in a pan on the stovetop) and baking (in the oven)? I get confused with the terms: keittää, paistaa, leipoa, paahtoa etc., and what the appropriate usage is. It seems maybe "keittää" involves water?

[Jukka Aho]

Are there different words in finnish for frying (in a pan on the stovetop) and baking (in the oven)? I get confused with the terms: keittää, paistaa, leipoa, paahtoa etc., and what the appropriate usage is. It seems maybe "keittää" involves water?

keittää = to boil (something that is submerged in water)
paistaa = to fry in a pan on the stovetop or to bake/roast in the oven

paahtaa = to roast (in the oven etc.)
ruskistaa = to brown, to sauté (for example, ruskistaa jauhelihaa = to brown ground meat)

leipoa = to bake pullas, cookies, bread, etc. – the whole ordeal from mixing the ingredients to kneading and raising the dough to baking

Tänään leivotaan pullaa!
Laitoin juuri pellillisen piparkakkuja paistumaan uuniin.
Paistetaanko lättyjä?
Aion keittää perunoita. Odotan vain, että kattilassa oleva vesi alkaa kiehua.
Aamulla keitän aina kattilallisen puuroa.
Keitetäänkö kahvit?
Paista pihvi valurautapannulla.

[Pursuivant]

But "paistaa" is generally used both fry on top and roast in the oven. "Paista uunissa 200 asteessa" - a piece of meat "roast" is paisti... paahtaa is more like broil, a toaster is leivänpaahdin ... but then again the broiling thing in the oven is called "grillivastus" .

Also the sun fries you -. Aurinko paistaa, täällä paahtuu, minä kiehun no in there "paistaa" is "to shine", but its roasting here, I boil ...