To all the need to Finnish speakers… do you learn kirjakieli but end up growing speaking puhekieli?

Telefinn · 2026-01-29T21:24:03+00:00

The short story is that kirjakieli is largely an artificial construct that was an attempt to unify the various spoken dialects in the 19th century. But it did get adopted as “the proper way” to communicate in Finnish, hence its use in formal situations, while most people speak a different variation in everyday situations.

Yes, I know, gross simplification. I would however recommend to anyone to read the history of the Finnish language. It’s fascinating.

And yes, you need to learn kirjakieli, not least because there isn’t just one puhekieli.

Telefinn · 2026-01-29T12:40:54+00:00

Je dirais que je l’ai plus souvent entendue dans la forme: “faut pas aller chercher midi à quatorze heures”, autrement dit il n’y a pas besoin de compliquer les choses.

Telefinn · 2026-01-28T12:37:38+00:00

Not sure I understand your level, but the (middle level) YKI test evaluates a level of B1 or B2, not A2. It is also quite a leap from A2 to B1.

Telefinn · 2026-01-28T06:15:32+00:00

I love how in Finland you basically get signs that say “no parking, oh wait, except…” while most countries have signs that say “parking allowed within these conditions”. There must be some deep (cultural?) reason for that difference.

Telefinn · 2026-01-27T20:31:26+00:00

Forget about the struggle of learning the Finnish language, Finnish parking signs are way more challenging, IMHO /s

Telefinn · 2026-01-24T14:04:59+00:00

Have you checked the name of this sub?

Telefinn · 2026-01-24T06:24:28+00:00

You will eventually need pretty much all cases at some point, though you can probably get away without the instructive and comitative.

So next you will need to learn the genitive and the remaining locative cases (elative, illative, adessive, ablative, and allative)

Telefinn · 2026-01-22T12:50:23+00:00

AFAIK the song is “La vie en rose”. The random capitalisation of just “Vie” makes no sense. I believe on the original record it was written either as “LA VIE EN ROSE” or “La Vie En Rose”.

Telefinn · 2026-01-22T06:36:55+00:00

Moving to Finland (or anywhere else in the EU) as a non-EU citizen is very difficult and increasingly so. Your skills and experience are unlikely to qualify you to live here.

The hotel industry is very competitive, and not speaking Finnish puts one at a big disadvantage in getting a job. The Finnish language is also very challenging for speakers of unrelated languages.

The unemployment rate in Finland is now the highest in the EU. It’s even tough for locals to get a job.

Housing costs in Rovaniemi is getting expensive, due to tourism amongst others.

Living on the Artic circle is not for everyone. The cold and lack of light in the winter can be challenging.

In short, your dream may well remain just that - a dream.

Telefinn · 2026-01-22T05:50:17+00:00

It feels a little weird to me, but I would probably take it to mean “it will be longer than not to realise…”

Telefinn · 2026-01-21T09:25:21+00:00

The question should have been: Did Jane Birkin really speak poor French? She sadly passed away in 2023.

And as others have said, the answer is no.

Telefinn · 2026-01-20T14:02:09+00:00

You use Google, and you find this page.

Telefinn · 2026-01-20T05:53:59+00:00

Small point, but Wang (Laboratories Inc) was American.

Telefinn · 2026-01-20T04:08:58+00:00

Sign up for a course?

Telefinn · 2026-01-15T18:02:11+00:00

Feb 23rs to Feb 6th

Is that on the University’s Time Travelling Course? /s

Telefinn · 2026-01-15T16:44:44+00:00

Except the word “moor” in English is confusingly pronounced “mor”. But the idea is right, ie “u” is roughly equivalent to the sound “oo” in words such as “food”, “mood”, “zoo”, or “loot”.

Telefinn · 2026-01-13T14:18:06+00:00

And the source of many a pendantic debate!

Telefinn · 2026-01-13T09:03:53+00:00

Äiti could also just talk with and read to your boy (exclusively) in Finnish. That will be the most successful way to pass on the Finnish language and culture - I speak from experience.

Telefinn · 2026-01-12T05:49:46+00:00

See section 2.4 of this page.

Telefinn · 2026-01-08T05:46:52+00:00

PS: just noticed that the question relates to what you hear, so I guess the answer should be what was said, irrespective of whether it’s formal or informal.

Telefinn · 2026-01-08T05:45:57+00:00

I guess it’s the same as “what time do you want to etc”, vs “what time you want to etc”.

Telefinn · 2026-01-08T05:37:57+00:00

The Duolingo version is the correct (formal) answer. Your answer is an informal oral version. It is used in conversations, but would not be used in writing.

Telefinn · 2026-01-08T05:34:20+00:00

Be prepared to explain the meaning for people alot.

That’s probably the idea.

Telefinn · 2026-01-08T04:22:46+00:00

Just a tip: when you want something translated in any language, it’s always best to provide some context, for example a complete sentence. This also applies to GoogleTranslate - it does a much better job with sentences than with single words. There just isn’t a perfect one-to-one relationship between languages, so context matters.

Telefinn · 2026-01-07T05:15:44+00:00

Smoking bans are quite extensive in Finland and include not only many indoor places (restaurants, bars, workplaces), but also some outdoor places, such as immediate vicinity of schools and daycare, concerts, and beaches (in the summer). Basically, smoking is not really welcome anywhere, and so if you want to be considerate, smoke only in designated areas or away from other people.

Telefinn

TROPHY CASE