A (IPA: /a/): pronounced like English “father” or “calm” O (IPA: /o/): pronounced like a prolonged ‘o’ in ‘or’. U (IPA: /u/): pronounced like the English ‘U’ in ‘Uber’. I (IPA: /i/): pronounced like the English ’ea’ in ‘Easter’ or ’e’ in ’email’ E (IPA: /e/): pronounced like “bed” Ä (IPA: /ae/): pronounced like English ‘a’ in “hat” Ö (IPA: /ø/): pronounced like English ‘i’ in “girl” Y (IPA: /y/): No clear equivalent, although briefly appears in the words ex. “to”, “you”, and “new”. Similar to the German “ü. ” A double vowel in a word simply means that you pronounce it for twice as long.
Always pronounce H. Your H should sound breathy, as though you are puffing air every time you pronounce it. J is pronounced like “y” is in English. V is weaker in Finnish than in English. As you pronounce it, try touching your teeth against your bottom lip very lightly. A double consonant (such as in the word takka) is pronounced with a brief pause or hesitation between the two consonants. W and X are not used in Finnish except in loan words.
Hei: hi, hello Moi: hello (informal, used with friends) Hyvää huomenta: Good morning Hyvää päivää: Good day Hyvää iltaa: good evening Mitä kuuluu?: How are you? Nähdään myöhemmin: See you later Hauska tavata: Nice to meet you Tervetuloa: Welcome Kiitos: Thank you Anteeksi: sorry, excuse me Näkemiin: goodbye
Paljonko tämä maksaa?: How much does this cost? Anteeksi, missä on ?: Excuse me, where is ? Voisitteko auttaa minua?: Could you please help me? Puhutko englantia: Do you speak English? Mistä sinä olet kotoisin?: Where are you from? Minä olen kotoisin: I am from . Mikä sinun nimesi on?: What is your name? Minun nimeni on: My name is___.
one = yksi two = kaksi three = kolme four = neljä five = viisi six = kuusi seven = seitsemän eight = kahdeksan nine = yhdeksän ten = kymmenen For numbers 11-19, all you have to do is to add the word -toista in the end of the finnish number between 1-9. (eleven= yksitoista; twelve=kaksitoista; thirteen = kolmetoista, etc. ) For the numbers 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90, just take a number between 1-9 and add the word -kymmentä, at the end. Example: Kaksi (two) + -kymmentä = Kaksikymmentä, which means twenty in Finnish.
Study vocabulary before you go to bed and after you wake up. This may help aid with memory. Listen to Finnish music and radio while you cook, clean, or drive. Set a time everyday where you go through your grammar exercises. Set up weekly study sessions with other Finnish learners.
If you do not want to use physical note cards, you can study using a note card app or through an online website.
Most Finnish textbooks will contain exercises in them. Websites such as Oneness, Venla,[2] X Research source and Tavataan Taas[3] X Research source offer basic online guides and exercises for learners. You can also look for mobile apps that will help test your Finnish abilities.
Yle[4] X Research source MTV Katsomo[5] X Research source Tune-In Online Radio[6] X Research source
The Finnish Consulate in Washington, D. C. offers a list of Finnish courses available in the US on its website. [7] X Research source Some universities in the UK, such as University College London or University of Westminster, offer Finnish courses. [8] X Research source If you are in Finland already, you can take a Finnish as a second language course at the University of Helsinki, University of Turku, University of Eastern Finland, and other major universities. [9] X Research source [10] X Research source If you do not have a course in your area, you can take an online course. These may be either a self-directed course or guided courses with instructors. The City of Helsinki offers a list of these courses through its Infopankki website. [11] X Research source
If you do not have any Finnish speakers in your area, you can find an online tutor. They will instruct you over a video chat program, such as Skype or Google Hangouts. [12] X Research source
Places in the Finnish diaspora are more likely to hold these types of events. This includes places such as Sweden, Estonia, Norway, Canada, the US, and Russia. In the US, Finnish cultural groups can be found primarily in Michigan, Minnesota, California, Washington, and Wisconsin.
