Finnish, Unlocked – Beyond the Textbook
Real Finnish for real life. Explore insights into how Finnish people actually speak and communicate.
Enjoying the articles? Get them in your inbox.
-
Stop saying “Minä pidän…” when talking about liking something in Finnish
Literally, please do not say “Minä pidän kahvista.” Unless you want to sound like Hyacinth ‘Bucket’ from Keeping up appearances,…
-
🇫🇮 Päästä or ehtiä? Is something blocking your way, or Do You Just Not Have Time?
“Can you come at six?” A perfectly normal question in English. Unfortunately, can is doing suspiciously little work here. Are…
-
🇫🇮 In Finnish, are you sometimes unsure whether you’re coming or going?
Finnish can make a very normal trip to the shop feel like a small navigation exercise. Are you in the…
-
🇫🇮 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…
-
🇫🇮 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…
-
🇫🇮 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…
-
🇫🇮 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…
-
🇫🇮 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…
-
🇫🇮 “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…
-
🇫🇮 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…
What if you had somewhere to speak Finnish regularly?
Finnish Fluency Lab
FFL is a friendly, pressure-free space to take your Finnish off the page and into real life.
Live online speaking practice with real people and ready-made conversation support to start conversations at your level
A fun way to learn Finnish!