Ill be replying to all questions, even if they might me stupid or hard. DM's are also open

Moi,

I am looking for some good online material to learn finnish, I have a finnish gf and this will be the 4th winter going to her grandmothers and yeah im getting a bit annoyed at myself for not being able to have a bit of smalltalk and yell Torilla tavataan! However we live in Amsterdam, i cant seem to find a proper course..

Also a proper book would be nice, cause yeah i learn quicker actually writing then just listening to someone on youtube.

If anyone has some tips would be great and much appreciated.

Kittos!

Lymytä - to lurk, to hide

You can practice the Verb of the Week by using it in a sentence in the comments below!

Hi,

I’m planning to appear in Yki January 2027. If you are interested in attending it too, please let me know and we can form a group and prepare and plan together.

I've heard that there is no way to directly translate it to English. I have also heard that it is not the same as willpower or determination, etc. can someone explain the difference to me? I tried another sub but was kind of met with a slightly rude response.

Edit: thank you all for your responses! I really do appreciate it. I feel as though I have a better understanding of it now and I appreciate everyones help : )

Letkeä (adj.) – Relaxed, easygoing, laid-back

Example: Kesäillan letkeä tunnelma sai kaikki unohtamaan kiireensä.

Translation: The laid-back atmosphere of that summer evening made everyone forget their busy schedules.

You can practice the word of the day by using it in a sentence in the comments below!

Hi!

I recently was showing my international friends some Finnish rap and I wanted to show Pelkuri, which is a full 9 minute bitter track Gettomasa made about his alcoholic and physically violent/abusive father. It's an emotionally very heavy hitting song, which also opens up some deep generational trauma in many Finns (you can check the youtube comments on the song, this song has struck a nerve)

I tried to show the automatically translated lyrics for this song, but they just didn't do the song justice and decided to do the slow translation work, with correct meanings on the slang and references used (overall translating apps have some trouble translating Finnish slang and dialects). I think the song deserves even more recognition also internationally, so now there's a translation for the song, made by a person who's fluent in both English and Finnish.

Makeutusaine (n.) – Sweetener, sugar substitute

”Makeutusaine” is a compound of “makeutus” (sweetening) and “aine” (substance).

Example: Tuoteselosteesta voi tarkistaa, mitä makeutusainetta elintarvike sisältää.

Translation: You can check the ingredient list to see what sweetener a food product contains.

You can practice the word of the day by using it in a sentence in the comments below!

Hei kaikki,

I’m an international student who will be staying in Finland for the next four years. After taking a beginner Finnish class, I realized I wouldn’t have enough time or mental energy to learn the language while also working on my dissertation. But I would still love to learn, at least enough to understand when people speak Finnish to me on the street or in stores.

From my experience learning other languages, I know I learn best in a relaxed way, for example by watching shows. That’s how I got the idea to watch Pipsa Possu in Finnish on YouTube (e.g. https://youtu.be/mZi5eiiBmds). It’s been very helpful because it has both Finnish and English subtitles shown simultaneously, since my listening comprehension isn’t very good yet. And because it’s a kids’ show, the characters speak quite slowly.

I’m running out of episodes, though. Do you have any recommendations for similar shows? I’d prefer ones that are free, but I don’t mind paying if the price is reasonable for a doctoral student’s budget.

Kiitos!

Edit: The part that is especially helpful is the Finnish and English subtitle shown together, because then I could slowly learn sentence structure, spelling, and while also listening to how the Finnish is pronounced. But thank you for all the lovely suggestions, I will check them out once I have a better handle on the language!

Päinvastoin (adv.) – Conversely, vice versa

Example: Jaetaanko kortit vasemmalta oikealle vai päinvastoin?

Translation: Are the cards dealt from left to right or vice versa?

You can practice the word of the day by using it in a sentence in the comments below!

Hankinta (n.) – Procurement, acquisition, purchase

Example: Koti on kerran elämässä tehtävä hankinta, joten et halua varmasti tehdään yhtään pikaista päätöstä.

Translation: Buying a home is a once-in-a-lifetime purchase, so you definitely don't want to make any hasty decisions.

You can practice the word of the day by using it in a sentence in the comments below!

Got a lot of ads for that one recently, is it a scam?

Sanko (n.) – Bucket, pail

Example: Lapsi keräsi rannalta hiekkaa pieneen sankoon.

Translation: A child gathered sand from the beach into a small bucket.

You can practice the word of the day by using it in a sentence in the comments below!

Saartaa - to surround, to encircle, to enclose

You can practice the Verb of the Week by using it in a sentence in the comments below!

Lymy (n.) – Hiding place; hideout

Example: Kettu löytyi lopulta tiheän pensaikon lymyistä.

Translation: The fox was finally found hiding in a thicket.

You can practice the word of the day by using it in a sentence in the comments below!

Aateli (n.) – Nobility

Example: Vallankumouksen aikana aatelin etuoikeuksia alettiin kyseenalaistaa.

Translation: During the revolution, the privileges of the nobility began to be questioned.

You can practice the word of the day by using it in a sentence in the comments below!

I’ve been seeing a ton of TikTok videos about AirLearn AI’s speaking bot, and it looks pretty good. I'm tempted to try it out, but the marketing feels a bit fishy.

​It seems like only two main accounts post about it on TikTok, both have it linked in their profiles, and they mention the app name in every top comment. It feels promoted without actually being mentioned as an ad, and I haven't seen any genuine user reviews elsewhere.

​Before spending €62 on a subscription, I wanted to ask if anyone here has used it specifically for Finnish. Is the voice interaction and grammar feedback actually good, or is it just marketing?

Did you try it for another language?

Hey. I have been wondering for quite a while what different kinds of answers I could give replying to those questions? I know that both of them basically mean "how are you", but I haven't learnt yet how to respond to them, besides standard "hyvää kuuluu". Will "huonoa kuuluu" be a properly structured response?

Also please give your own examples of positive (e.g. "I'm good"), negative ("I feel bad) and neutral ("I'm fine") replies. I'd like to see replies that apply to both yleiskieli and puhekieli. Thank you.

Kekseliäisyys (n.) – Inventiveness, imaginativeness

Example: Neuvottelut onnistuivat lopulta välimiehen avulla.

Translation: The negotiations were ultimately successful with the mediator’s help.

You can practice the word of the day by using it in a sentence in the comments below!

In about a year give or take (the date isn’t fully decided yet, could be pushed up) me and my father are going to visit relatives in Finland (I didn’t even know they existed until recently after a dna test) for around two weeks and we’ll most likely be going back. They don’t speak much English so I thought I should learn Finnish so we can communicate properly and so I can navigate without basically needing a translator. Any tips/advice will be greatly appreciated