Learning Finnish: What I Wish I Knew Starting From Zero
Tips to supercharge your Finnish journey
Whenever people ask me why I chose Finnish, I never have a universal answer. I’ve visited Finland 3 times on short trips, have no connections there, and have no plans to immigrate in the foreseeable future. Yet I’ve spent ≈1,800 hours learning this language, and there are no indications of stopping anytime soon. Whenever I put on a Finnish podcast or audiobook, it instantly puts me in a good mood. There is something about the language that feels inherently correct. The Finnish language has been the one consistency in my life through volatile times. My original goal was immigration, but my future version of “living in Finland” might be speaking with Finnish ex-pats in a large global city like New York. I have to be open to the various possibilities of the universe.
Allow your “why” to evolve naturally.
As I got deeper into the nuances of the language, it dawned on me that many aspects of learning Finnish set up new learners for failure. I persevered through these walls, but there were instances when I almost quit altogether. If I was close to quitting, there must be others out there who might abandon their Finnish journeys for the wrong reasons. Over the years, it’s become intrinsically satisfying to share my…
