# awkward



## Maabdreo

How would you translate "awkward" in the sense of uncomfortable or ungraceful? E.g.

_He seems like a great person, but somehow our conversations are always so *awkward*._

Attempt:

_Hän vaikuttaa mukavalta, mutta meidän keskustelut ovat jotenkin aina niin *kiusallisia* (?)._


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## fennofiili

”Kiusallisia” sounds like a good translation.


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## Maabdreo

Okay, thanks! (Can the rest of the sentence be improved?)


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## fennofiili

Maabdreo said:


> (Can the rest of the sentence be improved?)



Well, _meidän keskustelut_ is colloquial; literary Finnish uses a possessive suffix: _meidän keskustelumme_. On the other hand, if this is meant to reflect spoken language, then I might use _se_ instead of _hän _and _on _instead of _ovat_. But spoken language varies, often combining different colloquial forms and often using an otherwise literary expression for some reason. Besides, written descriptions of conversations are usually a mix of spoken and literary forms, since genuine spoken language in written form might be alienating even to people who would themselves use it in speech.

With all these reservations, here is how I might express it in free speech: _Se tuntuu kivalta kaverilta, mut meidän juttelu on jotenki sillai kiusallista._


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## Maabdreo

Thanks as usual for the detailed reply. 



fennofiili said:


> But spoken language varies, often combining different colloquial forms and often using an otherwise literary expression for some reason.



Perhaps to keep us outsiders confused


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