Category: Learn Finnish
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🇫🇮 Should You Learn Finnish from the News? Probably Not.
Another question learners often ask me is: Should I be reading the news in Finnish? Will that help me learn more Finnish? My honest answer is usually: Absolutely not. At least not in the way learners often mean it. The news is not usually the best place to learn Finnish, especially if you are still…
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🇫🇮 When Finnish Place Names Refuse to Behave
🇫🇮 Why do I go to Porvoo, but onto Hyvinkää? Finnish place names can be confusing. Fact ✔️ Students ask about this all the time. Also fact ✔️ Writing an article about it, so that it can be sent during or after class to keep things nice and tidy. Final fact ✔️ So let’s talk…
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🇫🇮 What does “torille” really mean in Finnish?
Some Finnish words are easy to translate. And then there is: Torille! Literally, it means: To the market square! The word comes from: tori = market squaretorille = to the market square So far, very normal Finnish. But culturally, torille! means something much bigger. If Finland wins something important, especially in ice hockey, people may…
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🇫🇮 The “problem” with Finnish…A Teacher’s Perspective
Finnish Is Precise – But Not Always when viewed through the lens of English This is a personal linguistic reflection on why Finnish can feel both extremely logical and extremely difficult to learn at the same time. Long read, if you only have a few moments to spare, I suggest to read sections “9. Finnish…
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🇫🇮 Are you just trying to survive Prisma…
…but somehow end up being taught this instead: 🐺 SUSI = “wolf” And then immediately showing beginners this: susi suden…
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🇫🇮 “Tota” and “niinku” – what do they even mean?
If you spend time listening to Finnish people speaking naturally, especially in conversations, cafés, workplaces, or everyday situations, you will start hearing two words constantly: totaandniinku And after a while you may start wondering: “Why does everybody keep saying these words all the time?” 🙂 The good news is: Usually they do not carry a…
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🇫🇮 Finnish does not map directly into English.
This does not come as a big surprise I guess, but let’s have a look at some examples 🙂 One of the reasons Finnish feels confusing at the beginning is simple: It does not map neatly into English. This is an important point to accept early on. Adult brains want to ask why, why, why.…
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🇫🇮 When Finnish Starts to Make Sense: A Different Approach to Learning
For many learners, Finnish feels overwhelming at the beginning. The endings, the structure, the unfamiliar logic, it can seem like everything needs to be memorised before anything can be used. This is often where progress slows down. The approach here is different. The focus is not on collecting rules or building knowledge in isolation, but…
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🇫🇮 Webinar: Finnish is not random, it is logical…
🇫🇮 Studying Finnish from textbooks can leave you feeling stuck, things might make (some) sense on paper, but the system often appears unclear. If you’re living in Finland (or planning to move), this free live webinar will show you how: Finnish is not based on guessing or memorising random patterns. It follows clear systems that…
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🇫🇮 Top 10 Finnish Phrases (with Real-Life Meaning)
If you’re starting Finnish, it’s easy to feel stuck between textbook language and real-life conversation. These 10 phrases are simple, natural, and actually used in everyday situations — with clear explanations so you understand how they work, not just what they mean. 1. Moi / Hei Meaning: Hi / Hello Used in almost all everyday…
