How to start learning Finnish
I get asks every once in a while to recommend resources for beginners, so I thought of sharing what I started with and what I generally find useful for beginners.
Here is my resource post with all links and downloads I’ve collected so far, if you’re looking for specific things. If you know of anything I didn’t include, let me know and I will. :)
1. Apps
The first thing I used was the Finnish Fun Easy Learn 5000 words app. It teaches you words in different categories with various exercises (recognizing the words after hearing, writing them down, find the mistake, etc.), so it’s a good app for learning words in context. It also helped me to recognize various patterns in words that were helpful later. (also this was before I seriously started learning Finnish, so kind of a warm-up exercise).
Other similar apps are 6000 words also from Fun Easy Learn (it’s not actually 6k because you’ll have to pay for the full version) which has a similar structure with the added bonus that you can also practise saying the words and the app will tell you if it was good or not.
50 languages is also popular, again with various exercises to practise. (this personally didn’t work for me but mostly because my tablet kept crashing so that’s not to say others won’t like it)
So, a good idea to use some apps every day or maybe once a week, depending on what method you find best for learning. They can be a good extra practice if you want to focus on e.g. learning from a book.
2. Books
Language learning always starts with books, right? It’s always a good idea to have a grammar book, especially for Finnish. It will explain all you need to know and you can also practise. At least this method works for me.
Teach Yourself is probably one of the most popular books, I hear many people using and liking it. (The one on the link is an earlier edition, but just as good as the new one - I bought the hard copy). It’s a “classic” language book with topics, situations, grammar, vocab and exercises. There is also audio so perfect for getting an idea about speaking too.
Take a look at my resource list for more books, there are also links to various resource folders where you can download lots more. Maybe a different book will work for you, but I think this one is a good start. Whichever you chose, I definitely recommend using a book, at least for grammar.
3. Online resources
"There is no Finnish on Duolingo!” you will probably hear if you decide to learn Finnish. True, but there are other apps and sites you can use similarly, even if they not as “interactive” as Duolingo. Again, check the links to find something you like. :) There are some sites like Mondly or Mango that have premium features, so the free version is only a couple of lessons. Wasn’t worth for me so instead I tried to find others. The only two sites I use for Finnish at the moment are Memrise and Clozemaster.
Memrise is quite popular, mostly for vocab, even if you just choose one of the “most frequent words” courses, you can practise a bit every day and learn some new words that will surely turn up elsewhere. I did the beginner’s course first, it’s great even if you start a grammar book at the same time. Later you might find different courses that fit your needs.
Clozemaster is probably not the best for a total beginner, but after a bit it’s useful. You have to fill in the missing word in various sentences. The good thing is that these are sentences you might use in real life and contain very frequent words plus you learn in context and the grammar rules will turn up too. There is a multiple choice option which is good for beginners, later I switched to just adding the word by myself. You can play on various levels and the sentences repeat (so you can “master” them) so it’s also a good daily practice.
I didn’t have time yet to try more apps, but I will post about them when I do.
4. Immersion
Another thing you hear often as a language learner: Immerse yourself in the language! Read, write, watch movies in your target language, etc... so, how to do this with Finnish?
Reading
Again, check out the resources - there are some downloads and sites with children’s books which are probably the best starting point. They are easy and you can start recognizing things on your own and understanding more of the text. Believe me, you’ll get bored with it, but at first it’s a good feeling to say: Wow, I’m at the level of a Finnish four-year-old! :D Later you might want to read more complex books or Harry Potter or whatever, if you can and want, maybe buy some actual Finnish books :)
Also useful to read news and maybe Wikipedia articles on things that you’re interested in.
Writing
You might have to write some sentences during the exercises in your grammar book, so after a while you’ll be able to construct sentences on your own. Try writing short things at first, maybe a few lines about your day or choose a topic you’ve already learnt about. You can keep a diary or just post on your blog and others might correct it. It’s a good idea to write as often as you can, as early as you can, then you recognize the areas you have to improve in and go back to certain things if needed.
What to watch and listen
Youtube videos - check the resource list for some recommendations :)
TV programmes - again some links there, some probably have subtitles, but even without those you can just listen and see how much you understand, even if it sounds like nothing at first (an important part of language learning is falling in love with the language before you understand it, so just listening to it casually will make you love it even more and it also helps with listening to how people actually speak). You might find some cartoons/kid’s programmes as well which are probably easier to understand at first.
Music - just jump in and find Finnish artists you like and listen to them 24/7 and eventually you’ll pick out some words or try to learn the lyrics if you like (most of my Swedish learning was song lyrics for a long time) which helps learn a lot of vocab in context so you’ll remember better.
Disney songs - assume you know some Disney songs already, just listen to the Finnish version and similarly to music, it will help you learn more.
Watch movies - when you feel brave enough :D Also, watch movies you already know like Disney or others (if you can find them in Finnish) Again, you don’t have to understand everything, you know what the movie is about so try to pick out some familiar words.
Listen to the radio - again good for music and maybe some random speaking programmes
5. Tumblr
Make a langblr :D You can post about your progress, collect resources, practise writing and have others correct it, make friends and help others. You can find some of my favourite blogs in this post.
Tumblr is also good for finding random Finnish content and learning more about Finland and the culture. One way or the other you’ll find some Finnish blogs with interesting content and maybe eventually understand the weird memes they’re sharing :D Because let’s not forget, learning about your target language’s culture is important, and with Finnish it’s great fun because there are so many great things about Finland and Finnish culture.
6. General things
Some final pieces of advice based on my experience:
Don’t listen to the “OMG, Finnish is so hard” comments. Once you get the hang of it, it is just as easy as you make it to be. :)
Don’t be afraid to speak! Even if you just read out the dialogues from your book, words from Memrise or whatever, practise speaking. If you know native speakers and you’re not afraid to talk to them, do! :D
Practise every day (just like with any other language) - even if just a little, small progress is progress :)
Don’t get discouraged by the amount of grammar or unknown words or people who say it’s too hard. Just study in your own pace, try different methods, learn from the mistakes you make and try again. It will work!
This is all I can think of at the moment. Let me know if you have any questions and I will make more posts on different resources. And of course, good luck with learning Finnish! We’ll all get there one day!
