Learning Finnish is Difficult.

AmericanGuy · Post by **AmericanGuy** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 7:58 am

Ok, so I totally have a girlfriend in Finland (weird luck), ANYWAYS, I found a few sites that help learn basically words in Finnish. So I am currently trying to form a vocab so that maybe someday if I ever get the chance to move to Finland I will have a heads up on the whole process (we are talking about a minimum of 3 years in the future). Anyways I couldn't seem to find the right thread for help with learning Finnish. I have a very, very basic understanding of common words and basic nouns (now learning time: www.finnishschool.com), also I have nearly mastered pronunciation (except I can't roll my r: Fail) . So help would be more than appreciated. I believe the hardest part (memorization just takes lots of time) will be those (15?) forms. Thanks for your time!

**Sponsor:**

AmericanGuy · Post by **AmericanGuy** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 8:01 am

Ok so, 25seconds after I posted first deal. Found the spot on the forum. Awesome.

AmericanGuy · Post by **AmericanGuy** » Thu Feb 18, 2010 8:42 pm

Now, I could use a virtual tutor, but as I am a study already full-time, I don't have any money to really spare (going to Finland this summer!). But if you know finnish and are fluent in english, and would be interested in giving me virtual lessons, that would be so awesome, and I would be so thankful!

tuulen · Post by **tuulen** » Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:51 am

As an English speaker I discovered that having an overview of the Finnish language really helps, and that is because Finnish is arranged so differently than English. So, to get such an overview a study of basic Finnish grammar is necessary. Unfortunately, the best grammar studies remain copy written, and therefore are not available anywhere on the 'net except as for sale in old fashioned published book form. Of course, for you what apparently is needed is a Finnish grammar text published in English, but outside of Finland your choices are very limited, and my suggestion to you is Finnish: An Essential Grammar by Fred Karlsson, second edition and internationally published by Routledge.

True, Finnish vocabulary is vastly different than English vocabulary, and that alone will give you much to learn, but a study of Finnish grammar is also necessary because without knowing how to put the words together to form correct sentences and questions vocabulary alone is all but useless. Yes, you could know the meaning of 10,000 words, but without a working knowledge of Finnish grammar those words will remain all but useless to you.

Another consideration, without a working knowledge of Finnish grammar you will not be able to use a Finnish dictionary.

autio010 · Post by **autio010** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 9:50 am

Hei! I speak a fair amount of Finnish and am somewhat proficient, as long as the conversation stays about simple things (I'm far from fluent) and as a native English speaker who started studying the language as a young adult, I could probably offer tips and insight that I've come across while studying the language, so would be willing to help you out as much as I could. Plus I've found that teaching it helps to keep it fresh in your brain, especially when it's a language that you can't always use every day. Feel free to message me and pick my brain about partitive and cases and anything else, and hopefully I can give you a hand! Like my Finnish instructor taught me, it isn't really a difficult language (it's really very logical), it's just so different from English, which is why it can be a bear for native English speakers to learn.

filecore · Post by **filecore** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:49 am

tuulen wrote:Unfortunately, the best grammar studies remain copy written, and therefore are not available anywhere on the 'net except as for sale in old fashioned published book form. Of course, for you what apparently is needed is a Finnish grammar text published in English, but outside of Finland your choices are very limited

Well, he does have a Finnish girlfriend and will be visiting in a few months; surely somebody from here could send books? My first Finnish language book was Opi Englantia Mikin ja Akun Kanssa ("Learn English with Mickey and Donald") which was actually quite great for basic grammar and examples. On a slightly more academic note, looking on my bookshelf, some handy early books I used were Finnish for Foreigners 1 and 2 by Maija-Hellikki Aaltio (in English, published by Otava), and Suomea suomeksi 1 and 2 by Olli Nuutinen (more advanced, in Finnish, published by SKS).

tuulen wrote:Another consideration, without a working knowledge of Finnish grammar you will not be able to use a Finnish dictionary.

Definitely. Now, this is my personal method and may not work for you, but since Finnish is so logically structured and modular (of those 15 cases you mention, six are simply in/at/from propositions, one set for internal and one set for external case) I would recommend getting a little Berlitz phrasebook of Finnish, and as you learn, start deconstructing the sentences you see until you understand why they go together as they do. Linguistic reverse-engineering! Again, your mileage may vary. I recently wrote something along these lines in a recent thread; you may want to browse through that one.

When I first came here a decade ago, I was bewildered and confused, but it only took a couple of years and I had a decent grasp of it. Put away your preconceptions from English and approach this as a puzzle game. As mentioned above, Finnish isn't hard, per se; just different. Sign up for a course at the kesäyliopisto (summer university) in Helsinki while you're over here, and meeting other foreigners at your level of learning will give you like minds with whom to discuss your problems and confusion. And most of all: good luck!

sammy · Post by **sammy** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 12:21 pm

filecore wrote:Finnish isn't hard, per se

kaveribrother · Post by **kaveribrother** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 9:44 pm

hei Americanguy, to learn Finnish faster tell your GF to start speaking only Finnish to you and correct you when you are wrong. another thing get your favorite American movies with Finnish subtitles and watch them with sound off. sounds funny but if you are not talking,reading nor listening to Finnish the whole time you wont learn much. forget the books watch tv especially movies you have seen time and again and make sure you make as much mistakes to be corrected because that is how you will also build your confidence

filecore · Post by **filecore** » Thu Mar 04, 2010 10:07 pm

kaveribrother wrote:hei Americanguy, to learn Finnish faster tell your GF to start speaking only Finnish to you and correct you when you are wrong. another thing get your favorite American movies with Finnish subtitles and watch them with sound off. sounds funny but if you are not talking,reading nor listening to Finnish the whole time you wont learn much. forget the books watch tv especially movies you have seen time and again and make sure you make as much mistakes to be corrected because that is how you will also build your confidence

This is all good advice. Sadly it usually doesn't work in the home - whatever you started with tends to be what you stick with, no matter how hard you try - but you could have a time set aside for "Finnish only", such as Thursday evenings or something. Regiment it. As for the movies, that's also a good idea. When you watch US and UK stuff from Nelonen, for example, do the same (you don't necessarily have to have the sound off, just pay attention to the subtitles). I also found it good to peruse fun books like Opi Englantia Mikin ja Akun kanssa (a surprisingly fun and useful Christmas present from my wife's family back in 2001).

sammy · Post by **sammy** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:07 pm

filecore wrote:I also found it good to peruse fun books like Opi Englantia Mikin ja Akun kanssa (a surprisingly fun and useful Christmas present from my wife's family back in 2001).

Sorry - it's Friday

filecore · Post by **filecore** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:10 pm

And you know what? That wasn't even original.

sammy · Post by **sammy** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:23 pm

filecore wrote:And you know what? That wasn't even original.

Bugger! And I thought I was treading on virgin soil there

tuulen · Post by **tuulen** » Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:24 pm

filecore wrote:...On a slightly more academic note, looking on my bookshelf, some handy early books I used were Finnish for Foreigners 1 and 2 by Maija-Hellikki Aaltio (in English, published by Otava)...

Finnish for Foreigners, v. 1 and 2, were the first Finnish books I used, too! Yet, even though I read them so thoroughly that the covers of the books literally fell off, I really did not understand how the Finnish language works until I read Karlsson's text, thank you, Fred Karlsson! And, since then I have also become a Leila White fan, too. Both Karlsson and White are the best Finnish grammar authors available in English.

raamv · Post by **raamv** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 12:10 am

sammy wrote:
filecore wrote:Finnish isn't hard, per se

totta kai!! !!

filecore · Post by **filecore** » Sat Mar 06, 2010 12:27 am

raamv wrote:
sammy wrote:
filecore wrote:Finnish isn't hard, per se

totta kai!! !!

I didn't see that until after I'd posted, and I wish I could take credit for it and say that it was an intentional pun, but sadly it wasn't. However, although I'm familiar with its meaning in Finnish, I was rather surprised to learn that it's also a word in English

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