Comments on: Puhutko Suomea?

By: seedy

seedy — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:36:49 +0000

i really love finland how peopel speak finnis and how the behave in her oh finland and they pay school for free at school eat is free and water is for free and thanks for helping me to speak finnid and líve in finland I LOVE FINLAND

By: PinT

PinT — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:28:26 +0000

HAH: loved this post/thread:my Finnish wife, (but yep, joint marriage language = English) put me on to this:
Reiska and Mike’s comments are spot on for me – so much so, that roles are revered with my Finn relatives’ life here; I’ve become the silent foreigner coz they’re all terrified to talk to me for fear of embarrassment that they won’t be able to fathom what I’m saying and so steer well clear of saying ANYTHING to me!
And yep, I too constantly get the same service personnel switch to English whenever I try my mangled Finnish: who am I to insist on continuing in ‘wrong’ Finnish if they can’t cope with anything less than perfection?
My best (worst?!) pub experience which resulted in me ‘withdrawing my custom’* came after the typically surly lass began to lecture me like a stupid kid – (in front of my client, too!) – on how to order correctly in Finnish – and not to expect a receipt (she’d chucked it in the garbage!) if I didn’t speak properly!
*Still, has saved me one helluva lot of dosh since not returning!

By: vastustuskyky

vastustuskyky — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:48:54 +0000

ah, I just loved mentioning I speak Japanese to these Japanese guys who always tried to speak me English when I lived in Japan. It can be lots more difficult for an outsider (in Japan any western-looking guy is totally outsider just by one look)if conversation can’t be turned into English if wanted. Japanese’s English skills kinda suck in too many cases.

I’m a Finn and speak kinda fluent Japanese, but that’s some culture you really can’t get in, even if you know the language, if you are not native. I think I understand your thoughs of Finns as boring, (maybe)smart, racistic, but in some way interesting people. Sometimes I’m so annoyed with Japanese and their not-gonna-let-you-in-you-look-strange-culture, but I just can’t let them be

By: Niilo

Niilo — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 08:19:48 +0000

Funny story. I once had some kind of reverse situation; a British barman refused to believe that I wasn’t a Finn, telling me “your accent is great, but you will never sound like a native speaker” (!) (I am also a Brit(

I have seen a kind of Murphy’s Law of Conversation in operation in Helsinki; The easier the situation the more likely that the Finn you are dealing with will switch to English.

e.g. in bars, shops and situations where you can handle yourself with no problems, the ‘helpful’ bartender/shop assistant/whatever will switch immediately to English. But if you go to Kela, Verotoimisto or the unemployment office, when you would be delighted to have someone help you navigate the byzantine bureaucracy englanniksi, then you usually have to muddle through as best as you can suomeksi.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:08:42 +0000

“Sexy language – now that’s something I have not yet heard from anyone.”

Maybe the fact that you don’t have friends, has something to do with it.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:05:43 +0000

“Like you”

Yes. Like me.

By: wahur

wahur — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:11:33 +0000

I am not a Finnish speaker, but Estonian. So situation with non-native speakers is somewhat similar. And problem is the same for both sides. You see, there are foreigners and local Russians who a) speak Estonian and do so gladly or even prefer that for one reason or another, b) speak Estonian, but do not want to speak that nevertheless, c) do not speak Estonian but still try desperately, d) do not speak Estonian and never intend to. Whichever way you try, chance of choosing the language goes wrong about 50% of the time (I am fluent in ET, EN and RU so the choice is not a problem for me). And the best solution then is to tell your preference and be done with it. Why feel bad? It’s just life.

By: Mussuka

Mussuka — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:00:46 +0000

Anonymous is suffering from a split personality syndrome again:)))

Sexy language – now that’s something I have not yet heard from anyone. I can call Spanish or Italian sexy but Finnish? The arguments these people come up with…:)

By: Cunter

Cunter — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 06:55:20 +0000

Note to self: Not all frenchmen are twats, though most are.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:16:10 +0000

“Boring people though.”

Like you

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:56:57 +0000

“But mostly I’m just amazed how some people really spend their energy by studying Finnish, even if someone’s never been to Finland or hasn’t met a Finn ever.”

They do it because the Finnish language sounds beautiful and exotic and “sexy” to most foreigners. I know some come to Finland only because of the language. That’s about the only good thing there is in Finland. Nature, peace and sexy language. Boring people though.

By: Heidi

Heidi — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:53:18 +0000

As a Finn myself, I think not all the people dislike it when foreigners at least try to speak Finnish. I have a Hungarian friend who studies Finnish and works here as an au pair, and I like talking in Finnish with her. Though when I use some difficult vocabulary I often translate it into English. But mostly I’m just amazed how some people really spend their energy by studying Finnish, even if someone’s never been to Finland or hasn’t met a Finn ever. And I respect those people alot. Keep up studying (:

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:37:40 +0000

“I still cannot differentiate my own speech with words like “kukka” and “kuka.”

My advice for that, maybe a bad one but here it goes, buy the Aapinen and Lukukirja books =)

http://www.otava.fi/oppimateriaalit/oppimateriaali_sarjat/hauskamatka/fi_FI/aapinen_ja_lukukirja/

You need to start learning the syllables and you need to start learning them now. Halt everything else. That book is meant for kids in school who are just about to learn how to read and write. So logically it should be good for a foreigner just learning the language = basically doing the same what kids are doing in school. Learning the syllables makes speaking the language so much easier.

Because in Finnish every letter of a syllable is pronounced -> KAU-PUN-KI you need to pronounce the letters U, N and I clearly and not just skip them (what most foreigners always do) so in a word KUK-KA you pronounce KUK paying attention that you prounounce the K in the end, take a pause and then KA. KU-KA you don’t pronounce that K because there isn’t one. Very simple isn’t it.

By: Me

Me — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:29:25 +0000

Probably, because he knew that you were going to refer to him as a “bar tender” as opposed to a “bartender”?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:02:24 +0000

I suppose my points with the video links was that some people are naturally good in languages and some will never learn, it doesn’t depend on where you come from or what you’ve been doing for a living.

But seriously, you can’t expect working people in a haste to start teaching you Finnish. It’s much better way to learn anyway if you have conversations with friends in situations where you all can take your time, like go to have a bite or a coffee, few pints or a hockey game.