Tips For Learning Finnish

Learning Finnish can be challenging. It is one of the hardest languages in the world, many people speak English and learning resources are not as abundant as other languages due to the relatively small population size. Here are my top tips for learning the Finnish language.

#1 Find a way to learn Finnish which you enjoy

This sounds very logical for learning every language, but it is especially important for Finnish. With some languages like French or Spain, I could force myself to go through some boring material some hours and speak already the basics. With Finnish this is different. To manage the basics, many hours of learning are needed and one way to keep doing is, is to make it fun.

#2 Take a course

Especially if you are very new to Finnish, taking a course can be a great way to understand the basics and connect with others who are learning Finnish. You can find both offline and online courses on different levels. I'm currently collecting links to several places that offer Finnish courses.

#3 Spend time in Finland (if possible)

Hearing Finnish around you helps you to get familiar with the pronunciation of Finnish and the basic vocabulary that you can use in public transportation, restaurants and shops. Try to surround you with Finns that do not speak English too well to get immersed into the language.

#4 Use apps

There are a couple of great apps that can help you learn Finnish on the go. Here I list some of my favourite ones.

Finnishpod 101 has a paid and free version and it contains structured material to learn Finnish via a podcast and videos. In the summer of 2017 I had a job in Finland which required me to take a bus 3 hours a day, and during that time I listened to all the podcasts. It includes listening, culture, vocabulary and grammar elements in a structured manner about topics that actually matter (e.g. work, health). For this reason, this the app I have learned from the most.

Duolingo has included Finnish in their app in 2020 and it is a great way to start learning Finnish and especially practice reading and writing. Although the vocabulary isn't always the most useful, it is a fun way to learn the language a little bit every day.

'Speak Finnish' and 'Learn Finnish' from FunEasyLearn is a fun way to deepen your vocabulary in topics that you choose. You have a lot of freedom to choose how you want to practice the vocabulary which makes it handy if you have a preference for a certain learning style.