Must Learn Finnish! Please Help.

laciethier · Post by **laciethier** » Sat Jan 14, 2012 3:42 am

Hello,

My name is Laci and I am from Canada. I am currently applying for undergraduate schooling in Finland. I have been learning Finnish since September of 2011. Although I have memorized some phrases, I feel I am still not getting it. It is difficult to learn when there is nobody else around that speaks the language. Not only that, but it is near impossible to find learning tools that go beyond conversations meant for just tourists. I want to gain an in depth knowledge of the language. Please help me...

If there is anybody who would be interested in spending time with me in order to teach me some Finnish via email or msn, please let me know.

I would be able to help anybody learning english as well.

Hope to hear from somebody.

Laci

**Sponsor:**

tuulen · Post by **tuulen** » Sat Jan 14, 2012 7:56 am

The truth is that nothing you know about English can help you to learn Finnish. They are two COMPLETELY different languages, in every way.

As an English speaker, you will need to study Finnish grammar, to see how the Finnish language gets put together, and works.

I recommend Finnish: An Essential Grammar, 2nd edition by Fred Karlsson, published internationally by Routledge, ISBN13: 978-0-415-43914-5

Leila White is another popular author, having written a series of Finnish language books, but her books must be imported to Canada, from Finland.

Due to copy right laws, the best Finnish grammars are available only as printed books, and that level of quality is not available online for free. So, buy the book!

After some study, you no doubt will have questions, and so go to the Kielikoulu (language school) forum, right here on the Finland Forum website: viewforum.php?f=9

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Sat Jan 14, 2012 10:15 am

You just watch out 3rd generation speaking fingelska, that would not help you any as you'd learn unintelligible gibberish (cool language as it is).

Logic · Post by **Logic** » Sat Jan 14, 2012 10:22 am

I only know about Ontario. There are Finnish schools in Ottawa and Toronto, here are some useful links

http://finnschool.com/
http://www.finnishcafe.ca/
http://ottawa.finnish-schools.org/
http://www.artsandscience.utoronto.ca/o ... rg_fin.htm

You'd probably be better off with Totonto especially the Finnish cafe. The program in Ottawa is limited.

onkko · Post by **onkko** » Sat Jan 14, 2012 9:19 pm

Logic wrote:I only know about Ontario.

Ontario, Thunder bay

Atleast some finns in there

I personally find ST Urho day amusing and so fitting in finnish personality, "feck it! we can have saint holiday too, fu irish!"

Lamauttaja · Post by **Lamauttaja** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 3:21 am

Hi Laci, If you got something to ask, or speak Finnish a little bit, we can write each other it in this forum. How good do you actually speak it?

And yes, i need a little english practise too

tuulen · Post by **tuulen** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 3:36 am

onkko wrote:I personally find ST Urho day amusing and so fitting in finnish personality, "feck it! we can have saint holiday too, fu irish!"

CH · Post by CH » Sun Jan 15, 2012 2:25 pm

laciethier wrote:Although I have memorized some phrases, I feel I am still not getting it.

Ahh... see... that is not the way to learn Finnish. It may work for other languages, learning from conversations and building up the vocabulary, but for Finnish you unfortunately have to start out pretty heavily with the grammar to make any sense of it all. Conversations, learning to listen, getting your "ear" tuned to Finnish is an importan part of it, yes, but you will get absolutely nowhere if you don't have at least the basic grammar. So, as Tuulen already said, pick up a grammar book and start going from there. Don't get too frustrated if it seems hard... it is hard.

When you have your grammar book, go back to the same conversations and phrases, and try to decipher what they actually are saying. Finnish words are like puzzles. You start out with the basic word, add a bit of this and a bit of that, and tadaa... you get the word you need for your sentence. Going the other way, having a word and trying to figure out what the basic word is and what endings have been added and why, can be very hard.

laciethier · Post by **laciethier** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:06 pm

Cory wrote:Where do you live, btw? Yeah, I know you said Canada but you never now.. one of us Canadian's on this forum may know someone who knows someone near you who could partner up with you on skype or in person.

I live in central Alberta. Near Red Deer. Travel to Calgary weekly. I have looked online and I know there are some Finnish organizations in Edmonton and Calgary.

laciethier · Post by **laciethier** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:13 pm

Lamauttaja wrote:Hi Laci, If you got something to ask, or speak Finnish a little bit, we can write each other it in this forum. How good do you actually speak it?

And yes, i need a little english practise too

I have practiced writing and reading Finnish, forming sentences, listening to Finnish radio, etc. But having a respectable and coherent conversation in another country is completly different. People use slang words, and in some cases there are no direct translations from one language to another, for example; different cultures have different phrases that mean one thing to them and to another country make no sense. I want to be able to have good conversations with people. Ones where I know how I am presenting myself to them is in a respectable manner. Any tips, lessons, suggestions, etc. would be appreciated. I don't want to sound like an arrogant foreigner.

As for english practice. I am more than willing to help out. Let me know what you need or even if you just want to talk.

Thanks for your consideration

laciethier · Post by **laciethier** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:20 pm

CH wrote:
laciethier wrote:Although I have memorized some phrases, I feel I am still not getting it.
Ahh... see... that is not the way to learn Finnish. It may work for other languages, learning from conversations and building up the vocabulary, but for Finnish you unfortunately have to start out pretty heavily with the grammar to make any sense of it all. Conversations, learning to listen, getting your "ear" tuned to Finnish is an importan part of it, yes, but you will get absolutely nowhere if you don't have at least the basic grammar. So, as Tuulen already said, pick up a grammar book and start going from there. Don't get too frustrated if it seems hard... it is hard.

When you have your grammar book, go back to the same conversations and phrases, and try to decipher what they actually are saying. Finnish words are like puzzles. You start out with the basic word, add a bit of this and a bit of that, and tadaa... you get the word you need for your sentence. Going the other way, having a word and trying to figure out what the basic word is and what endings have been added and why, can be very hard.

It's funny because I totally noticed the whole "puzzle" concept you are speaking of. I notice the more I look at the phrases and sentences, the more I notice the basic word with additions to them. But it is somewhat simple in the fact that once you figure out the grammer rules, they apply to one specific idea. Not like in English where there are 6 different ways to say one thing. European languages make English seem messy.

Although I have made them observation, I may figure out I am wrong in future lessons, I am still learning.

Thanks for your tips.

laciethier · Post by **laciethier** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:23 pm

Thanks everybody. I will spend some time looking at the links and using your advice while studying. This is awesome! So excited!

Jukka Aho · Post by **Jukka Aho** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 11:06 pm

The most obvious place to start is the Kielikoulu section on this forum. (See this post for links to some grammar resources, for instance.)

These could be helpful:

Unilang (see their forum too)
Suomea, ole hyvä!
Ymmärrä suomea
Supisuomea
Kuulostaa hyvältä (This guy has uploaded the Supisuomea videos as well, see his upload page.)

You might also want to take a look at this (you would probably want to read the entire thread, not just the linked post):

Mnemosyne, spaced repetition, the sentences method

Material suggestions:

Teaching children Finnish

On the philosophical aspects of studying Finnish:

On studying verbs
Building blocks of Finnish (read the post from “But at the same time it strongly points out what I've often said before...” onwards)

Evertony · Post by **Evertony** » Fri Jan 20, 2012 10:55 pm

http://www.listenlive.eu/finland.html

Listen to YLE X, Radio Suomi a few hours a day, it helps massively. You wont't learn the language this way of course, but you will really familiarise yourself with it. More so than living here because people speak Finnish with local dialects and usually too fast (atleast in the beggining) for you to catch on. Those radio stations are like book finnish, they speak almost perfect and you can hear most words. They have phone-ins too so you can hear normal spoken finnish from various different areas. I found this a great way of learning. Also, I found the Leila White book disappointing, there is another book out there done by a Finnish lady living and working in London translating for the embassies and I find that the best out of all the Finnish study books/courses I have seen.

Sami-Is-Boss · Post by **Sami-Is-Boss** » Sun Jan 22, 2012 9:27 pm

Also, you have to be patient- you need to speak and listen to a language a bloody lot to get familiar enough with it that the hours of grammatical study clicks into place. Listening will be a bugger until you've had a lot of practice, but I know how easy it is to get depressed that you'll never learn this language- keep it up, and whatever you're doing, it will help. Good luck, and don't be put off!

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