I love spotting patterns… when I started learning Finnish, I noticed that there were lots of patterns in the language that repeat themselves. You learn one word and start to notice that its ending is used over and over. What’s that about? I explain how this works in the Finnish sentence I deconstruct today.

I love breaking down and demystifying Finnish so I’ve used that as inspiration for this first season. In each video, I’ll take a short sign written in Finnish and explain, not only what it means, but also the grammar behind it. Sometimes there are nuances, subtleties and other fun stuff. Overall, Finnish has always been a wonder… and learning the language has left me with a lasting impression of awe about how we express ourselves, communicate and what language shows us about our perception of the world. 

I hope you enjoy the series as much as I’ve enjoyed making it!

In this video, we look at our first Finnish sentence, building on all the words we’ve learned up until now: ‘yksityisalue luvaton pysäköinti kielletty’.

If you haven’t seen the rest of the series, you can find it over on my YouTube channel, and don’t forget to send in your own signs for future episodes here.

Until next time,

Irina