5 comments about Colloquial Finnish: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series).

1. The word "colloquial" in the book title must be taken quite literally. The language as taught here is Helsinki street slang, which differs substantially from the literary standard. This need not be a shortcoming, because the traditional way to stick to the standard is frustrating enough for the communicatively (not academically) oriented learner who prefers to be able to speak a language instead of primarily writing and reading it.

   A more severe fault is the fact that the book sometimes clearly violates the standard rules about writing compound words, sometimes rather haphazardly printing a compound word as two separate words. However, even this is a kind of error which would be committed very readily by a native speaker lacking in education.

   Even the vocabulary incorporates some very vulgar colloquialisms not normally taught to learners.

   All told, this book, rather bizarrely, teaches Finnish as it is spoken and written by Helsinki skinheads. This could be, of course, a caustic commentary about the kind of Finns the foreigner is most likely to come into contact with. However, pedagogically it does not seem too bad, and I cannot dismiss its peculiar innovations out of hand.




2. I own a few other Finnish language books. Actually, all of the books that the local bookstore I visit had, which was like 5 or 6. Routledge's language courses are the best you can buy, I know because I've bought an array of books for an array of languages. But this one takes the cake; Author Daniel Abondolo delicately blends the professionalism or language books with the speech or normal people to create a very conducive environment for learning, especially with such a diffucult language. Abondolo teaches you the essentials of the language, as no single volume book could teach you an entire language. By the end of the book, you will be speaking the language seemingly as if you've known the language all your life, without the accent though. The authors credentials are confirmed by his other books, namely the Uralic Languages(editor+author), a highly technical book dealing with the language group with which Finnish is part of. The tapes provide a very useful tool, that is, hearing the spoken language through native speakers.



3. Although interesting, I find Panu's review way out of line. Saying that the language in this book is that of Helsinki Skinheads is absurd altogether. The Finnish in this book is simply the Finnish used in Helsinki (and most major cities), I can't see how on earth this has anything to do with skinheads.. This is the language used by youngsters in Disco's, clubs, on the streests, in the schools and universities etc. One could only hope that the visitor to this site will take Panu's comments for what they're worth.

   For the book itself, it is quite good even if the way of describing Finnish grammar is highly un-orthodox. The vocabulary is quite comprehensive and most dialouges are well wuited for the learner.When completing this course, the reader will be able to converse with nativr Finnish speakers and take part in normal life.




4. Is Finnish the most difficult language in Europe? Quite possibly, yes. Is it one of the most interesting? Definitely!

   Unlike almost every other language in Europe (English, French, Russian, Welsh, Swedish etc etc) Finnish is not an Indo-European language. This means that it is unrelated to most other European languages except Estonian and Hungarian. Thus it is not surprising to find that the language is very different indeed, what about 14 cases for nouns?! The vocabulary is also very different from most other European languages. Given this, trying to learn Finnish is a real challenge.

   So why do it? One reason is that Europe's largest collection of folk-tales is in Finnish since old stories lived on here for a very long time. The national epic of Finland, Kalevala, has rightly been considered equal to the Celtic and Greek Epics. Finnish is also a very beautiful languages, and the linguist J.R.R Tolkien (author of The Lord of the Rings) based his alven-speech upon Finnish, considering Finnish to be the most beautiful language in the world. Then there is also the joy of visiting Finland - one of the richest, cleanest and most developed countries in Europe Most people under 40 speak as good as fluent English but you don't get to know the culture in the same way without some knowledge of Finnish.

   Colloquial Finnish is definitely your best guide to natural, spoken Finnish. It presents the grammar in a somewhat unconventional way, but it does manage to give a very thorough guide to all aspects of the Finnish grammar. The lessons are not too long, and are packed with conversations to help you learn the spoken language. In all, the book is a very good mix of grammar explanations, exercises, dialouges and miscs. Learning to pronounce Finnish is not too hard, but the audio-version is very helpful.

   As can be seen from my review, I have fallen in love with both the country and the language, and this book has done more than any other to help me learn Finnish.




5. Take the title of this book seriously: it really _only_ teaches colloquial Finnish, and the colloquial Finnish of only one region at that!

   While this might be of use to someone interested in learning to converse ONLY, it is of no help to anyone who actually wants to learn to write and read Finnish. The problem is that the written form of Finnish is not spoken in any particular part of Finland. The usual approach is to learn to speak this written form (which everyone does understand, even though no native speaker uses it in daily life) while learning grammar rules. Once a student has done that he/she goes on to learn the colloquial Finnish of a specific area. A student who uses this book is going backwards...and will be hurt by that approach. Not only does the book contain almost no clear explanations of some of the most complex grammatical systems in the world, it also offers no introduction to standard written forms of some very common words.

   A student who completes this book will be able to chat in a Helsinki bar (maybe?), but won't be able to read a newspaper or understand a radio DJ...nor will he or she have the basis to continue on to other books, which presuppose an understanding of Finnish grammar. The books recommended by other reviewers are better choices, as is Suomen Kielen Alkeisoppikirja by Anna-Liisa Lepasmaa and Leena Silfverberg.

5 comments about Teach Yourself Finnish: A Complete Course for Beginners (Book only).

1. This is a great book. Both the text and the CD's were very helpfull. Easy for anyone to use and learn finish.



2. Before moving to Finland for graduate school, I purchased Terttu Leney's TEACH YOURSELF FINNISH. Leney's is the most widely available Finnish textbook in the English-speaking world, and it did equip me with enough basic Finnish to comfortably settle into life in Finland. However, the book is not perfect, and in spite of its strengths it pales in many respects to other, more obscure textbooks.
   
   Leney's book generally follows the contemporary Teach Yourself format: dialogues are followed by vocabulary (first phrase-for-phrase glosses, then individual new words), then come exercises, and finally at the end of each lesson is a dialogue spoken more quickly in more authentic language that the student is challenged to at least get the gist of. Each lesson is dedicated to a specific subject, such as shopping, going to the doctor, or (towards the end) talking about history and politics. There are Finnish-English and English-Finnish vocabularies and, something which all other TY volumes should emulate, some advice on where to go next (books, websites, radio, etc.).
   
   While things like asking directions is a typical topic in beginner's textbook, I rather disagree with Leney's giving it so much attention. The lost tourist asking directions in limited Finnish is likely just going to be answered in English, Finnish people being so at ease with talking to foreigns in it. Rather, the challenge for people new to Finland is feeling at ease with a group of native speakers, such as classmates or coworkers, and so starting off with asking directions isn't so efficient, nor is the early emphasis on talking to bank tellers.
   
   The CDs are absolutely essential. With a sound system so different from English, Finnish is not a language that can be learnt well just off the page. Even if you have a couple of Finnish friends, chances are they couldn't enunciate like the folks on the CDs. Teach Yourself CDs vary widely in quality, but these are very good, with a large cast of voice actors so you just used to different voices, and a good mix of clear and "street" enunciation.
   
   What's wrong with Leney's course? Well, as a one-volume course its exercises are woefully insufficient. Agglutinating languages need much more drill than, say, Spanish or Italian, but the exercises here are few and train the student more to utter stock phrases than to internalize the huge amount of endings that conversational Finnish requires. It would have been better if Teach Yourself had commissioned a course from Leney in two volumes, a beginner's and an intermediate, which would have provided space for much more drill. Teach Yourself has done this for some languages, but regrettably not "smaller" ones.
   
   If you want to learn Finnish, by all means acquire TEACH YOURSELF FINNISH. However, at the same time you need to get a few other books. In my Finnish for foreigners courses at University of Helsinki, the assigned textbooks were Leena Silfverberg's SUOMEN KIELEN ALKEISOPPIKIRJA and SUOMEN KIELEN JATKO-OPPIKIRJA (both published by Finn Lectura). While it might be a bit of work ordering those, and much in them is designed for classroom use, they abound in just the type of rigorous exercises that Leney's course lacks. Leela White's From Start to Finnish (Finn Lectura, 2003) is also a useful textbook, and is available though this very site.
   
   This is not a bad course. However, like breakfast cereal that advertisements claim to be part of a balanced breakfast showing it in photos alongside bread and fruit, Terttu Leney's TEACH YOURSELF FINNISH is but one element towards profiency in Finnish.



3. Before moving to Finland for graduate school, I purchased Terttu Leney's TEACH YOURSELF FINNISH. Leney's is the most widely available Finnish textbook in the English-speaking world, and it did equip me with enough basic Finnish to comfortably settle into life in Finland. However, the book is not perfect, and in spite of its strengths it pales in many respects to other, more obscure textbooks.
   
   Leney's book generally follows the contemporary Teach Yourself format: dialogues are followed by vocabulary (first phrase-for-phrase glosses, then individual new words), then come exercises, and finally at the end of each lesson is a dialogue spoken more quickly in more authentic language that the student is challenged to at least get the gist of. Each lesson is dedicated to a specific subject, such as shopping, going to the doctor, or (towards the end) talking about history and politics. There are Finnish-English and English-Finnish vocabularies and, something which all other TY volumes should emulate, some advice on where to go next (books, websites, radio, etc.).
   
   While things like asking directions is a typical topic in beginner's textbook, I rather disagree with Leney's giving it so much attention. The lost tourist asking directions in limited Finnish is likely just going to be answered in English, Finnish people being so at ease with talking to foreigns in it. Rather, the challenge for people new to Finland is feeling at ease with a group of native speakers, such as classmates or coworkers, and so starting off with asking directions isn't so efficient, nor is the early emphasis on talking to bank tellers.
   
   The CDs are absolutely essential. With a sound system so different from English, Finnish is not a language that can be learnt well just off the page. Even if you have a couple of Finnish friends, chances are they couldn't enunciate like the folks on the CDs. Teach Yourself CDs vary widely in quality, but these are very good, with a large cast of voice actors so you just used to different voices, and a good mix of clear and "street" enunciation.
   
   What's wrong with Leney's course? Well, as a one-volume course its exercises are woefully insufficient. Agglutinating languages need much more drill than, say, Spanish or Italian, but the exercises here are few and train the student more to utter stock phrases than to internalize the huge amount of endings that conversational Finnish requires. It would have been better if Teach Yourself had commissioned a course from Leney in two volumes, a beginner's and an intermediate, which would have provided space for much more drill. Teach Yourself has done this for some languages, but regrettably not "smaller" ones.
   
   If you want to learn Finnish, by all means acquire TEACH YOURSELF FINNISH. However, at the same time you need to get a few other books. In my Finnish for foreigners courses at University of Helsinki, the assigned textbooks were Leena Silfverberg's SUOMEN KIELEN ALKEISOPPIKIRJA and SUOMEN KIELEN JATKO-OPPIKIRJA (both published by Finn Lectura). While it might be a bit of work ordering those, and much in them is designed for classroom use, they abound in just the type of rigorous exercises that Leney's course lacks. Leela White's From Start to Finnish (Finn Lectura, 2003) is also a useful textbook, and is available though this very site.
   
   This is not a bad course. However, like breakfast cereal that advertisements claim to be part of a balanced breakfast showing it in photos alongside bread and fruit, Terttu Leney's TEACH YOURSELF FINNISH is but one element towards profiency in Finnish.



4. Before moving to Finland for graduate school, I purchased Terttu Leney's TEACH YOURSELF FINNISH. Leney's is the most widely available Finnish textbook in the English-speaking world, and it did equip me with enough basic Finnish to comfortably settle into life in Finland. However, the book is not perfect, and in spite of its strengths it pales in many respects to other, more obscure textbooks.
   
   Leney's book generally follows the contemporary Teach Yourself format: dialogues are followed by vocabulary (first phrase-for-phrase glosses, then individual new words), then come exercises, and finally at the end of each lesson is a dialogue spoken more quickly in more authentic language that the student is challenged to at least get the gist of. Each lesson is dedicated to a specific subject, such as shopping, going to the doctor, or (towards the end) talking about history and politics. There are Finnish-English and English-Finnish vocabularies and, something which all other TY volumes should emulate, some advice on where to go next (books, websites, radio, etc.).
   
   While things like asking directions is a typical topic in beginner's textbook, I rather disagree with Leney's giving it so much attention. The lost tourist asking directions in limited Finnish is likely just going to be answered in English, Finnish people being so at ease with talking to foreigns in it. Rather, the challenge for people new to Finland is feeling at ease with a group of native speakers, such as classmates or coworkers, and so starting off with asking directions isn't so efficient, nor is the early emphasis on talking to bank tellers.
   
   The CDs are absolutely essential. With a sound system so different from English, Finnish is not a language that can be learnt well just off the page. Even if you have a couple of Finnish friends, chances are they couldn't enunciate like the folks on the CDs. Teach Yourself CDs vary widely in quality, but these are very good, with a large cast of voice actors so you just used to different voices, and a good mix of clear and "street" enunciation.
   
   What's wrong with Leney's course? Well, as a one-volume course its exercises are woefully insufficient. Agglutinating languages need much more drill than, say, Spanish or Italian, but the exercises here are few and train the student more to utter stock phrases than to internalize the huge amount of endings that conversational Finnish requires. It would have been better if Teach Yourself had commissioned a course from Leney in two volumes, a beginner's and an intermediate, which would have provided space for much more drill. Teach Yourself has done this for some languages, but regrettably not "smaller" ones.
   
   If you want to learn Finnish, by all means acquire TEACH YOURSELF FINNISH. However, at the same time you need to get a few other books. In my Finnish for foreigners courses at University of Helsinki, the assigned textbooks were Leena Silfverberg's SUOMEN KIELEN ALKEISOPPIKIRJA and SUOMEN KIELEN JATKO-OPPIKIRJA (both published by Finn Lectura). While it might be a bit of work ordering those, and much in them is designed for classroom use, they abound in just the type of rigorous exercises that Leney's course lacks. Leela White's From Start to Finnish (Finn Lectura, 2003) is also a useful textbook, and is available though this very site.
   
   This is not a bad course. However, like breakfast cereal that advertisements claim to be part of a balanced breakfast showing it in photos alongside bread and fruit, Terttu Leney's TEACH YOURSELF FINNISH is but one element towards profiency in Finnish.



5. Before moving to Finland for graduate school, I purchased Terttu Leney's TEACH YOURSELF FINNISH. Leney's is the most widely available Finnish textbook in the English-speaking world, and it did equip me with enough basic Finnish to comfortably settle into life in Finland. However, the book is not perfect, and in spite of its strengths it pales in many respects to other, more obscure textbooks.
   
   Leney's book generally follows the contemporary Teach Yourself format: dialogues are followed by vocabulary (first phrase-for-phrase glosses, then individual new words), then come exercises, and finally at the end of each lesson is a dialogue spoken more quickly in more authentic language that the student is challenged to at least get the gist of. Each lesson is dedicated to a specific subject, such as shopping, going to the doctor, or (towards the end) talking about history and politics. There are Finnish-English and English-Finnish vocabularies and, something which all other TY volumes should emulate, some advice on where to go next (books, websites, radio, etc.).
   
   While things like asking directions is a typical topic in beginner's textbook, I rather disagree with Leney's giving it so much attention. The lost tourist asking directions in limited Finnish is likely just going to be answered in English, Finnish people being so at ease with talking to foreigns in it. Rather, the challenge for people new to Finland is feeling at ease with a group of native speakers, such as classmates or coworkers, and so starting off with asking directions isn't so efficient, nor is the early emphasis on talking to bank tellers.
   
   The CDs are absolutely essential. With a sound system so different from English, Finnish is not a language that can be learnt well just off the page. Even if you have a couple of Finnish friends, chances are they couldn't enunciate like the folks on the CDs. Teach Yourself CDs vary widely in quality, but these are very good, with a large cast of voice actors so you just used to different voices, and a good mix of clear and "street" enunciation.
   
   What's wrong with Leney's course? Well, as a one-volume course its exercises are woefully insufficient. Agglutinating languages need much more drill than, say, Spanish or Italian, but the exercises here are few and train the student more to utter stock phrases than to internalize the huge amount of endings that conversational Finnish requires. It would have been better if Teach Yourself had commissioned a course from Leney in two volumes, a beginner's and an intermediate, which would have provided space for much more drill. Teach Yourself has done this for some languages, but regrettably not "smaller" ones.
   
   If you want to learn Finnish, by all means acquire TEACH YOURSELF FINNISH. However, at the same time you need to get a few other books. In my Finnish for foreigners courses at University of Helsinki, the assigned textbooks were Leena Silfverberg's SUOMEN KIELEN ALKEISOPPIKIRJA and SUOMEN KIELEN JATKO-OPPIKIRJA (both published by Finn Lectura). While it might be a bit of work ordering those, and much in them is designed for classroom use, they abound in just the type of rigorous exercises that Leney's course lacks. Leela White's From Start to Finnish (Finn Lectura, 2003) is also a useful textbook, and is available though this very site.
   
   This is not a bad course. However, like breakfast cereal that advertisements claim to be part of a balanced breakfast showing it in photos alongside bread and fruit, Terttu Leney's TEACH YOURSELF FINNISH is but one element towards profiency in Finnish.

1 comments about Berlitz Scandinavian Phrase Book (Berlitz Phrase Books).

1. This is a handy pocket sized phrase book that is very handy to communicate the very basics. If you want to get in depth with the language this is not for you. If you want to learn a few basic phrases then this is for you. Many people spoke my native language in Scandinavia which made it easier to get by with the many interactions I dealt with but it was fun to make attempts at learning some of the languages. Have a go at it. Fun Stuff!

4 comments about Finnish for Foreigners 1. Text book.

1. Finnish for Foreigners provides a good basis for anyone learning to speak Finnish. Its vocabulary is that of common words and its examples are those that are commonly encountered (buying in the marketplace, using public transportation.) It also provides a grammatical foundation which you can build from.

   The downside of this book is its confusing order. The chapters do not seem to flow, but rather subject matter is broken into 2 or 3 separate chapters located far apart in the book. The book also has no glossary, which I found annoying.

   I bought this book to learn the spoken language of Finnish. When coupled with a dictionary and Finnish for Foreigners 2, it was very adequate for the year I spent in Finland. The book also has a Finnish author, who adds an enjoyable flavor of the typical Finnish personality to the book.




2. Instructional books on the Finnish language are hard to come by. Aaltio's "Finnish for Foreigners" provides a good introduction for the struggling beginner who is trying to make sense of the Finnish language's difficult grammar and syntax.

   Although its organization is a bit uneven, "Finnish for Foreigners" does a good job of introducing the student to new words and of building a Finnish vocabulary. At the same time one learns the basics of Finnish grammar. Aaltio slowly introduces the nuances of Finnish grammar so that one can build their skills and confidence with Finnish.

   "Finnish for Foreigners" was my first instructional book in the Finnish language. It provided me the basis I required to expand my Finnish skills and I highly reccomend it to anyone who is seeking an introduction to Finnish.




3. I bought this book and was sorely disappointed. There are two problems... 1) the book has no practice excercises and 2) the book is very small for the price! ... Considering that there are no exercizes, I would recommend a cheaper, one book course (I'm using Colloquial Finnish). Those kind (including Colloquial Finnish) aren't ideal either, but are a much better deal for the money. Buy a dictionary, a Finnish grammar book, and a one-book course and that is probably your best bet.



4. This is a classic introductory text to the Finnish language. After a few pages of basic pronunciation instructions, it starts students off with simple sentences like "What is this?". By the end of the 40th lesson, students are able to read and discuss extended dialogs about daily life. Each chapter starts with a dialog, presented simultaneously in Finnish and English in bilingual columns. The dialog is followed by a short pronunciation section, then some grammar explanations, and then a list of new vocabulary presented in alphabetical order. Each chapter is quite short, usually consisting of only 4-6 pages.

   The choice of vocabulary is rather good. The beginning chapters introduce the most commonly used words in the language, as well as words that might be needed by students or new arrivals to Finland. Cultural details are also inserted in the readings, such as asking directions in downtown Helsinki, shopping on market squares, and Jean Sibelius.

   My main complaint with the text is that it presents some perfectly predictable phonological processes as irregular. That really rubs me the wrong way because Finnish has to be just about the most regular language in the world, as long as you learn how to apply the rules correctly. Personally, and as a linguist, I much prefer mastering the regular phonological rules of a language rather than memorizing different forms of individual words as Aaltio has her learners do. Aaltio does explain the rules eventually, in chapter 23, but I would think these rules would help even new beginners. This textbook may work well for some students, but it's not my personal favorite.

5 comments about Teach Yourself Finnish Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (TY: Complete Courses).

1. This is a great starter product for those who want to learn the basics but who also want to expand on their chosen language. The only flaw with the book are the CD's, they go pretty fast but that's no problem. The information in the book is very helpful as they pretty much break it down for you. All in All i would learn another language with this product.



2. On page 8, the dipthongs are listed in one order and then not in that order when they are used in sample words. Then, on page 13, the phrases are said super fast and only once. You have no time to process the phrases or even practice them yourself. For the alphabet on page 14, same thing. The speaker literally races through the alphabet. You have no time to say anything yourself. That was only the introduction! It appears they want you to have one hand on the book and one on the pause button. If you want to go over or refer back to material that you would like to hear or practice again, even just a few seconds back, it is not possible; you have to start the entire section over. For a point of reference about these critical comments, I am multilingual, have studied languages from diverse language families and have taught a foreign language. This item belongs in the category of the worst instructional material I've ever seen. Based on this, I would not try any other languages in the series. The only other "complete" thing about this package was that it was a complete waste of money. It is, at best, a supplemental review for non-beginning Finnish language learners.



3. This was the first book I bought when I decided to independently teach myself Finnish. It is a good introduction for someone who has no previous knowledge, I guess, because you have to start somewhere. HOWEVER, I found that you can't really just work your way through it without spending a LOT of time on each chapter. There is too much vocabulary at once and it seems like they expect you to just memorize everything the first time they say it.
   The CDs were very useful, but there is no way you could use them by themselves. They REALLY help with the pronunciation. The native speakers speak very slowly and clearly, and there is a good variety of voices.
   There are not nearly enough exercises in this book, and next to NO grammar! Although, I know that this is mostly due to the fact that Finnish is a very tough language and the grammar is crazy. Most people say that it is better to learn Finnish (at least at first) by just memorizing words and phrases.
   Anyways, my point is, This book is alright. The CDs are handy. I suggest it to learn the correct pronunciation. It's not the GREATEST, but there aren't too many Finnish books out there to begin with...and it's really good value for the price.



4. This book was terrible. When I finished it, I knew some vocabulary but the grammar was so confusing. The author explains things in a roundabout way that ends up just confusing you.
   
   So, if you are looking for a good Finnish book, buy Finnish for Foreigners I and II. That book is great!



5. unless you know a good bit and know how to pronounce finnish, or have a finnish mom like i do, pick another language, this one is devilishly difficult (14 cases!)

1 comments about Finnish in 60 Minutes (Berlitz in 60 Minutes).

1. This is good if you want to get some basic vocab before diving deeper. Standard listen and repeat, which I like.

5 comments about Finnish: An Essential Grammar (Essential Grammars).

1. This book is amazing. There is a definite lack of Finnish language books available in English, and this is by far the most comprehensive grammar around. My only complaint is it could go a lot farther with more examples and more exceptions to rules listed, but with a language like Finnish, they could write volumes and still not get everything. The outline of the rules of the language is pretty complete.



2. Well, the ground isn't exactly thick with Finnish textbooks, so I figured I'd give this one a go and see what happened. As it turns out, I was delighted - no, ecstatic - at the quality of this book.
   
   The first couple of Finnish books I'd used were of the "teach yourself" variety. These were good for learning useful phrases - almost like a Berlitz book, but with more cartoons and some practice exercises - but were absolutely horrible for learning the nuts and bolts of the language. I learn languages in much the same way as I do logical or mathematical structures, and am lost without thorough explanations of grammar and syntax from the get-go, so I needed something better than (or at least something to go along with) these books.
   
   This book is the one. It starts out with amazingly precise guides to pronunciation and word structure, and the first few chapters contain detailed explanations of phenomena that ABSOLUTELY NEED to be understood to make sense of word formation (i.e., consonant gradation and pre-"i" vowel changes). These first chapters immediately cleared up many of the word changes that had previously mystified me.
   
   The rest of the chapters are just as good as the beginning ones.
   
   What really stands out about this book, though, is the enormous wealth of examples - sometimes between ten and twenty for each grammatical point. (These examples are the main reason the book is 200-odd pages long instead of 100-odd pages.) There are so many examples that, after looking at the first few, I can cover up the Finnish text and translate the rest of them as "exercises."
   
   Even more astoundingly, this book wasn't originally written in English. The quality of the translation is so good that this book appears to have been written äidinkieleksi in English.
   
   If you get this book, some sort of "teach yourself" book (mostly for the conversational usage), and a bunch of flash cards for vocabulary (



3. I bought this book a few months ago when I decided that I wanted to learn Finnish and had difficulty getting beyond the pronunciations. So, I switched to Terttu Leney's "Teach Yourself Finnish" to get into the language a little and then after a few chapters in that book, have picked Karlsson's book back up. Although I have no prior experience in the language and am teaching myself, I have gone from complete confusion to being able to write in Finnish fairly fluently in about 1 month as a result of what I have learned from this book.
   
   As a complete beginner in the language, I would say that this book is a must have. While some of the cases, tenses, and word forms are confusing initially because they don't have any direct correlation to English, when you begin working with the language, the explanations by Karlsson make perfect sense.
   
   I started e-mailing an acquaintance who is a Finn, and he was more than a little surprised that I was able to write that well in Finnish. His comment was: "I didn't know that you could write that well." This was confirmation to me that Karlsson's book was well worth its cost.
   
   This book does not have any exercises in it, which was my initial frustration. So if you are a beginner like I was, you will need to purchase another resource that gives you exercises to practice with. However, once you begin learning, if you read the chapters in Karlsson's book that correspond with what you are learning, I think that you will find that his explanations are much more comprehensive. Hyva osaa.



4. This book is more than just a grammar reference; it is an excellent resource for learning Finnish. The language's many complex endings and cases are set forth with clarity and abundant examples. The book also provides a lot of vocabulary-building opportunities along the way. I'm very impressed, and would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning Finnish.



5. Best book on Finnish I've yet to see. I purchased two other books on Finnish prior to this particular book and they were both structured for people who are new to learning languages. If you're new to learning languages, start with Spanish, certainly not Finnish. Finnish has an insanely difficult case system and since it's a member of the Finno-Ugric branch of languages, it has very few words derived from Indo-European. Thus you'll never find an English cognate unless the word was borrowed into Finnish. This book does an outstanding job of explaining how each case works, how it's inflected and goes into detail about consonant gradation. If you know linguistics and you want to learn Finnish grammer, this is the book for you!
   
   Note: Finland is NOT part of Scandinavia. Looking at their languages should be clear enough to understand this.

5 comments about Say It in Finnish (Dover Say It Series).

1. At first, the only reason I bought this book was because it was very cheap. Was I in for a surprise when I began to read this Finnish to English Phrase book. Need to know when the next train to Helsinki is? Flip to the Travel section (everythings split up into sections) and you'll find out how with an easy to understand pronunciation guide. With over 2100 different entries in about thirty or forty different sections, and with the size of the book fitting in the palm of your hand, its a must-have item for any traveller who expects to be needing to know Finn.



2. I kept this book in the pocket of my cargo pants throughout my stay in Finland. This book is by no means intended to teach you Finnish, but if you're looking for the bare essentials, this is the best you'll find. All the phrases have a pronunciation guide, however, I found this more confusing than helpful. Pronunciation in Finnish is very difficult. You're better off studying the pronuciation section at the beginning of the book and then apply it to the phrases. The best part of this book though is that the price can't be beat!



3. If I get into a bind, all I have to do is pull out this little gem and no misunderstandings due to language. A great little book to take along when you visit Finland:-)



4. I bought this book and I thought it would e a bit better. there's pronunciation, but i really got frustrated



5. Joo, this Phrase book was great!
   
   EXCEPT
   
   that the first 30 pages where "say it in Swahili".
   Maybe it was just my copy that had the error. *shrugs*
   
   but the rest of the pages were very helpfull.

2 comments about Langenscheidt Universal Finnish Dictionary: Finnish-english/ English-finnish.

1. This pocket dictionary really will fit in your pocket! It has a flexible plastic cover which should wipe off easily if need be. It also has blue headwords. It appears to be as comprehensive as one would expect for this size. It includes both American and British usage (the American usage is indicated by Am). The introduction and guide to pronunciation are in both languages. There are also 21 pages at the back with information for travelers (in both English and Finnish): basic (travel) phrases, abbreviations, numerals, how to tell time, and metric conversions including a thermometer showing both Fahrenheit Centrigrade/Celcius. English irregular verbs are also included. (The pocket dictionaries for some other languages have a mini-grammar with irregular verbs for both languages; Langenscheidt apparently left most of that information out of the Finnish edition so the total page count would be the same as for the other dictionaries (a cost-saving move on their part).)



2. Although there are many words you may wish to know that aren't in here, it's great for the size and value, especially if you're beginning to learn Finnish or need a compact, ACTUAL pocket dictionary, unlike Oxford's "pocket" dictionaries, which require pockets the size of a fanny pack. The blue headwords are very nice as well, and make for a quicker search for words.

4 comments about Beginner's Finnish (Hippocrene Beginner's)(w/2 CD's).

1. Dr. Risko has written an outstanding introductory Finnish book that helps make studying and learning a very difficult language both rewarding and fun. The book is composed of a variety of lessons that involve common everyday interactions one would have when visiting Finland. The author's style is easy to follow and it's quite obvious she enjoys teaching languages. I highly recommend this book to anyone who may need to learn Finn or just has a curiosity about the Finnish language. This is the book to read and study if you are planning a trip to Suomi.



2. I wouldn't say learning Finnish is hard, but it requires a lot of memorization. This book helps you not only learn Finnish, but gives you a wide range of commonly used phrases in Finnish. Don't expect however to just breeze through the book and know your basic Finnish, be prepared to spend a lot of time on each chapter, and go back every now and again.



3. I'm moving to Finland for school, and intend on living there for a while.. Beginner's Finnish has been an AWESOME tool for the crazy grammatical rules and conjugations that Finnish requires you to learn. Lots of dialogues you can read, with phrases and useful sayings as well. The vocabulary is not extremely extensive, but has plenty to learn for beginners. I would dare say almost all the grammatical rules are in this book.. but I could be wrong.. there's enough to keep you busy for a real long time. I would suggest buying a finnish-english dictionary along with this book to keep up the vocabulary.
   
   I got this book and "Finnish An Essential Grammar" by Fred Karlsson, and this is the better book in my opinion, but using both together has been very beneficial.. like I said, I've used Beginner's Finnish way more than Fred Karlsson's book.



4. The best help I've had yet in learning Finnish, excluding my Finnish native mother. Nevertheless, there are some faults with the answers to exercises, which are not always correct. This is not common though.
   
   The layout is great -- Finnish on one page, English on the opposite page. The English is a non-literal translation.