Learning Finnish as an International Student

Anyone who moved to Finland and attempted to learn the Finnish language has surely faced one obstacle: learning the Finnish language. It is a tough one and probably takes longer than most other languages there is. So has been a journey for me to learn Finnish, and I would like to share the ongoing experience.

I came to study in Aalto for bachelor’s, and having been accepted to master’s as well, I decided to learn the language pretty much right away. Yes, you can manage pretty well with English in Helsinki about literally everything. But many who are here to live for quite a while want to give it a shot in Finnish. So here goes the path I took.

As Finnish 1 is mandatory for bachelor’s students, I took the course and was super excited to start learning. It was something completely new, and I knew it was different than other European languages as it is from a different language family. The course was really interesting, and the teacher was amazing. Later, I decided to use it at a stor,e and not having understood anything from the reply, I realized it will take much more than attending lectures and even studying independently.

I continued the courses and going through textbooks, started consuming some content in Finnish with children’s comics such as Aku Ankka and (everyone’s favourite) Muumit. Then came my first customer service job in a restaurant where I was really eager to practice my Finnish. This was a rough patch with me constantly trying the language out, but sometimes even lacking the language when customers ask where the “lusikat” (spoons) are. One thing that occurred to me during this is how understanding and nice Finnish people have been with me regarding this. They struggle to adjust the speed even when I ask (especially friends, with the infamous quickness and monotony of the language), yet they are definitely good at bearing me with it!

I started listening to more music in Finnish, watching short series, and reading the news, while taking courses in both school and outside courses. Two years into my language learning journey, I can operate in Finnish in stores, at my part-time job at a bar with the usual things, joining conversations with Finnish friends. Maybe not fully, but at least it feels like I’m getting there. And I leave you with some tips and sources for learning the language.

Aalto Courses

Courses in the university are a great way to get started where you get to do two things at the same time: learning the language and earning credits towards your degree. Classes are great to meet people who are looking to learn Finnish, practice, get help from great teachers in Aalto.

Outside Courses

Many courses are offered in other learning institutions, such as adult high schools and language schools for affordable prices where you can skim for how intensive the course will be. They are often very flexible.

Friends and Speaking Groups

Finnish friends are your number one source to get to know about the most difficult part of the language: Spoken language. Another place for this is speaking groups. You can occasionally find in campus ads for these, look for it on the internet, create your own, or check one of these out in the following link:

https://kielisepat.fi/index.php/yhteiso/

Series, Music, Podcasts & Useful Links

Lastly, you must make it a habit to expose yourself to Finnish content. I have to say there is really good Finnish music out there, free series in YLE Areena for all levels, etc. I leave with you a few podcasts to listen to for learning the language.

Beginner:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4sGoFvQUHdo4ND6hwjKxzj?si=76960ee9d7a24526

Intermediate:

https://open.spotify.com/show/2KuzMhIFhw4F3jRSvtfbJE?si=28da013c97814591

You can find the link for a language website which might become your best friend/guide in Finnish, created by a late learner of the language to other late learners:

https://uusikielemme.fi/

You can chat with Cem and other students on Unibuddy.