Do you struggle from one of the five most common Finnish struggles? You’re not alone! These are so common, but so seldom discussed, they’re mainstream! Here they are, along with a new perspective to consider…

What do you I want to learn before 2019 comes to a close?

If taking another Finnish course comes to mind, but you’re hesitating for whatever reason, read this first.

Many people equate taking a Finnish course with learning Finnish. But there are many ways to learn Finnish; a course is just the most traditional way. It may or may not be what you need right now.

Traditional methods of learning Finnish are failing us and we need a new paradigm of learning: one that’s fun & feels good, that’s centered around our needs as individuals. So what does seeing Finnish through new eyes look like? What does it ask us to leave behind, and how do we get there?

Talk to anyone about why they’re struggling to learn Finnish and you’ll hear a variety of reasons. As someone who has struggled myself and has also helped others overcome this struggle, I have a slightly different take on why we struggle, and how we can re-frame the issue to overcome it.

I spent a lovely evening with friends last night and we got to talking about this amazing Finnish beatboxer named Felix Zenger. Juha and I saw him perform a few years back and to our amazement, it sounded like he had a 10 synthesizers in his mouth, when all he held was a microphone – nothing else. “How does someone do that?” we kept asking. I’m often asked this question in the context of speaking fluent Finnish. Here’s something we’re not considering…

Ah… spring! Do you feel it in the air? This time of year is among my favourites. There is so much we can learn from the seasons and their cyclical nature. Think about it: what is the purpose of spring in the context of the year?

Miksi juuri tämä kysymys? Pari päivää sitten olin Helsingin junassa ystänä kanssa. Puhuttiin suomea ja vastapäätä istuva mies pahoitteli, että oli salakuntelemassa ja halusi kysyä vain pari asiaa minulta: mikä mun äidinkieli on, miten joudun Suomeen ja…kuinka kauan oon opiskellut suomea? Pahoin.kysymys.ikinä. Jos tunnet minut henkilökohtaisesti, ehkä tiedät, etten vastaa tähän kysymykseen selkeästi. Minun mielestä se…

People would often ask me: “How did you learn Finnish?” and I wouldn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how I did it, it seemed like a random smørrebrød of ways.

Then a couple months ago, Cory, a high school friend of mine, came to visit me in Helsinki. He’s always been excited about languages and he was looking forward to picking up a bit of Finnish during his time here. It didn’t take me long to figure out that our ways of learning were quite similar…

I read somewhere that as much as 40% of what we do everyday is made up of habits. This means that almost half the time, we conveniently switch on the auto-pilot and conserve brain power: reach for the light switch, put on your shoes, grab your umbrella, feel your pockets for your keys, wallet and phone, pull the door behind you, ‘accidentally’ reach for your phone and check Facebook… What I didn’t realize is how delicate these habits can be. For example…