"En puhu suomea" | Race To The Finnish - Ep. 1 

I was in Spain. And ordered coffee in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish I just know phrases. The waiter asked me do I want it whit double expresso or single shot. I frozed. He changed to English but he had strong accent and I was in full panic mode so I didn't understand. Then he acted the most wonderful performance I have ever seen: "do you want weak or strong coffee" demonstrated whit body building pose and arms flopping down. That is one of my funniest memories about ordering coffee. So just go and order coffee in Finnish, maeby you get some fun memories too.

Good luck on your journey :) as a Finnish for foreigners teacher-student, I'll just give you my 2 cents on this matter. 1. Learn the basic sentence structures: main/subordinate/negative clauses. 2. Write sentences, get them fixed and read them aloud. 3. Daily vocabulary exercises! Keep a small notebook or whatever with you, so you can observe new words, write them down in whichever language you notice them, and check them out later. 4. Finns LOVE when you try speaking Finnish! Even if you stutter, make a lot of mistakes, blush, make a complete fool out of yourself... We just love it, when you try :) When you get overwhelmed, just breath. We all know how scary it is to speak in a foreign language, especially at the beginning. Learn a few sentences to ask others to slow down, use standard words and pronounce clear. Just remember you're talking to a person, who is interested in what you're saying. They're interested in you. They love you for trying, and they want you to succeed. With 500-1000 words you can work around a lot. Mind maps, comparing in lines or levels... This all has helped me loads with my English and other languages.

I think you should read Finnish childrens' books. They have easy sentences which could really support your learning. Also speak Finnish with some of your Finnish youtuber colleagues!

A few ideas that have helped me with learning english: have the radio on in the background, watch your Netflix etc. with finnish subs, read magazines on interesting subjects, listen to an audiobook you are very familiar with, read Aku Ankka or other comics you prefer, listen to an interesting podcast, have Cat speek only finnish to you on one day a week. You will soon realise you actally know more than you think. Onnea! (Ps. A schoolmate became good at english because he knew all AC/DC lyrics by heart). Oh, also instead of saying "en puhu suomea" (negative) try " Anteeksi, en ymmärtänyt. Puhutko hitaammin." (positive) "Sorry, I didn't quite get that. Could you speak slower". That way you indicate you are trying and willing to learn finnish and most people will try their best to help you.

I challenge you to have a conversation in Finnish with a toddler.

Hei Dave, Here is how you can learn/remember the word "lautanen" (a plate). "-nen" means that the word is diminutive. Commoly used in Finnish surnames as you mentioned. So what does the word "lauta" mean? It's a board. So also pretty practical word to learn and you can kill two birds with one stone. Lauta = a board Lautanen = a plate Ps. Taking "-nen" off from surnames, still doesn't mean that the rest of the word means something in today's Finnish, the root word might have gone extinct hundreds years ago.

My advice to you is to read Finnish bedtime stories for your child. I think it could help getting rid of that anxiety. don't focus to right pronanciaty or getting all words right.. just read out loud :).

One challenge idea could be turning the language on your phone/computer to Finnish for a day or a week! Good luck on your race, you'll do good! ⭐

Follow me on Twitch to join me on my learning journey every Monday, Wednesday and Friday :) www.twitch.tv/dave_cad

Dave ... my 2 cents seeing as everyone is giving theirs ... I'll give it to you straight. I have been in your shoes and it sucks ... big time. You must, must, must think about this challenge differently ... or it will break you. In my opinion, you need to go at this like it's a bit of a joke. A hoop to jump through. You have other things to do (earn money) and this is something that is on the side that you will be learning for a very. long. time. Settle in for the long term. Go easy on yourself. There will be tears and much frustration. You will doubt yourself and attach that to your self-worth. I have been there. I think many foreigners do this. Smart people have a hard time with Finnish. It is not you. It is the language. I recommend you do not try to speak it without learning more words and sentences. You need a good base or foundation. As you get comfortable with these, you will naturally begin to speak, little by little. If Kat is willing, and most partners are not, ask her to say things twice when she speaks to bub. Perhaps she is speaking Swedish to bub, I don't know but suspect she is. If she is speaking Finnish, you need to listen consciously to what she says. If she is not, tough .. it's up to you. This puts you in the same boat as most foreigners in Finland (who have Finnish partners). And yes it can be learnt. It helps if you already have a second language, but it can still be learnt. Remember. Take it easy on yourself. Generally Finns have NO IDEA how hard this is to learn as an adult. No idea at all. The pressure you put on yourself makes it harder, as walls and negative emotions inhibit learning. Keep doing WordDive. Search RU-vid for good Finnish songs and listen to comedy in Finnish. Go for walks with bub, listening to Finnish all the while. Keep it light until you are naturally choosing a more difficult level. Last thing. Say, "En puhu paljon suomea vielä, mutta mä opin vähän joka päivä" (I don't speak a lot of Finnish yet, but I learn a little everyday)

It's great to see that you take it seriously this time Dave. But don't be too serious, don't be afraid of the mistakes!

Also try to find something that you're interested in and just so happens to be in Finnish. If you're only using Finnish when studying Finnish, you're not really getting to the fun stuff and it can hurt your motivation. The reason people learn English so easily in Finland is because they have so much cool stuff available that they can do in English: games, TV, RU-vid, music, everything! Once the language stops being something that you're studying and starts being a byproduct of what you actually enjoy, you'll start to see your motivation go up as well.

I learned enough Swedish to pass my exams watching Solsidan. I recommend having radio or maybe audiobook in Finnish as background noise as Cat doesn't speak Finnish at home I believe. Speak to baby in Finnish, he won't judge :) Repeating random words/sentences that sound nice or funny in Finnish can help it feel more natural, or if you find a song you like, try learning the lyrics, you don't even have to know what the words mean at first. Comics are good too 🤔 you can read them out loud. It is important to use the spoken language so your muscles get used to the language too. Possible challenges later: 1. Say something about the weather to the bus driver etc. 2. Only Finnish at a shop 3. Make video with Roni in which you have to sing part of Finnish song and he has to translate (preferably singing) a part of song of your choosing

The final test for you after this challenge could be a meet&greet in finnish!

Olen todella onnellinen että opiskelet suomea ja että voisit tehdä tulevaisuudessa videoita suomeksi, jatka eteenpäin! I am so happy that you are learning finnish and that you could do videos in finnish, keep going!

im really looking forward to this :)

I really love how you edit and film videos! Also can't wait to see the following episodes of this series and how much you develop!! Suomen kieli on aika vaikea, mutta sulla menee hyvin, jatka samaan malliin! xx

One day in the future CaveDad is teaching CaveLad Finnish in the living room! :)

7:20 Honestly, I didn't even notice it said "Kylä" (village) instead of "Kyllä"

Go Dave! 💪 Consistency is extremely important in the language learning process, so this is a great challenge. But I would also recommend you to use some kind of a study book that would teach you grammar, not just words and sentences. From Start To Finnish is a good book, Teach Yourself Complete Finnish seems like a nice one too. In my opinion, the two main difficulties of the Finnish language are vocabulary (apps like Word Dive are great for that) and complex grammar. It's great that Word Dive offers grammar tips, but there is so much complexity in Finnish grammar that it would be much more beneficial to have a more structured and thorough learning material. And just remember: you've chosen an amazing country but it's also a country with a crazy ass language, so there will be frustration, there will be multiple occasions when you would just want to send it all to hell, there might even be tears. Do not get discouraged. You will learn the language - it's a long-long walk and sometimes you will only be taking small-small steps, but that's OK, you'll get there! Just keep walking.

At some point, you should film video "whole day speaking only finnish" :)

Watching selkokieliset uutiset would probably help you a lot. You'd see the news that finnish media thinks is important enough to report on and it would also keep you in the loop of things happening in finland. When i was learning english i picked a book i had already read in finnish and then read it again in english with a dictionary. It was really helpful because i already knew the plot but picked up a lot of words. It's so rewarding when you realise that you finally remember and understand a word you'd previously had to search from the dictionary. Good luck on your language journey!

You're right. I live also in Finnland for a couple of months, married also a Finn, have also too much to do and also struggle with learning the language. So I want to support you in this 1 hour learning finnish a day, in doing it also.

It's nice to see you try learning finnish. I realle appreciate the fact that people are intrested in finnish. Good luck Dave!

I’m moving to Helsinki in 10 days and I’ve been binge watching your videos. Thanks for the tips and great content! Love from Brazil

One good tip when learning a new language is to write diary in that language- this is because when you are trying to have a conversation in the future in that language you usually will use words related to your everyday life - what you have been doing, what you will do, what you think about certain things etc.. Tsemppiä opiskeluun! 😊

I can't tell you how much I can relate to all of the emotions that you have expressed in this video about learning Finnish. I've been living here in Finland for about 3 years now, and I've basically gone through all of the stages that you show here at different points over the years. Just yesterday I had to ask my fiancee the question: if I have a general idea of what a text said, but I don't understand every word (I couldn't directly translate it into English), am I actually making progress, or just faking it? The answer, of course, is that exposure to the language and practice will always be a good thing. Even if it makes us uncomfortable. I think I'll be following this series quite closely, as the topic is close to my heart, and its nice to hear that someone else has had similar experiences along the way. Please consider tag-along experiences over the coming year for foreigners living here trying to learn the language as well....... "LET'S speak Finnish in Senaatintori!"

I really like your language learning videos, they give me backup as I am struggling with my own learning (with other languages) so thank you for that! My suggestion is you go to the library and ask where you can find children's books in Finnish and or even Finnish books on plain language (selkokieli) if you feel courageous! They're good for language learning, I think

Good luck mate! I look forward to seeing how your language journey goes. I’m doing the exact same thing for German so this’ll be good inspiration/ motivation

A challenge: teach yourself a lullaby in Finnish. Translate the words so you understand the meaning as well. It could be a bonding experience for you and Leo, singing him to sleep in Finnish.

Buy a movie ticket and snacks at the movie Theater or ask a stranger to take a picture of you in a tourist location.

Great video Dave! Had to share it to some Facebook groups for motivation. My top tips for learning the language: 1. Make it a habit to use it everyday. At least a little bit: "terve", "kiitos", "moikka" 2. Find a language buddy who will patiently speak with you Finnish so you can learn. To return the favour, you can teach him/her English for half an hour. 3. Join a language group (Cafe Lingua). I am actually hosting a Finnish language meet up every Wednesday that is free and open to everyone. We have our meetings in the old mental hospital called "Lapinlahden Sairaala" here in Helsinki. We chat, laugh and drink tea in a relaxed atmosphere. You are more than welcome join our meet ups. :)

If you need to make any appointments, it would be a good challenge to make a call to your dentist, hair dresser or any other service you might use ☺️ good luck with the learning!

Dave, in 2 years you're talking Finnish with your Kid.

Hi man! I did the same journey for one year ago as you are doing now. My best two advice is to read a childbook with a lot of pictures and stuff. My second best advice is to listen to Finnish music- everything u can get. Listen, listen, listen till your brain gets damned of all the music. Haha, serious, Finnish is so hard, serious get a studygroup where u all can feel useless together and grow together. Got dmn that feeling the first time u can talk with a Finn! :D Theyre gonna love u! Onnea matka!

It's great that you are ready to speak finnish more 😊 So proud of you! Best way to learn: only speak finnish with your family and have your friends in Finland talk finnish to you. After about half a year, you'll be much more fluent! Only use a english word if you can't remember finnish one. And make sure to learn the finnish word from the person you are talking to 👍😊

I see many comments about a library card and that was my first thought as well. It could be a challenge for you to ask for a library card in Finnish (if you don't already have one). You could also borrow some short novels or even children's books in Finnish and try to learn from them.

I on my coffee cup is written: "Dream Big" "Start small" "Active now" So keep going to learn! :)

Daddy Dave and the struggle of learning Finnish.

I learnt English by watching Spot (the puppy) and then reading the same story in a book, when I was a live-in nanny for a 18 month toddler. My English is only marginally better, but I can do so much more with just larger vocabulary . (I'm losing it again though, because of not reading English text and owning a cable TV.) Try to watch TV programs in English and then with subtitles. A third step is to turn off the sound and just read subtitles. It doesn't matter how many words you miss because the text is going too fast or how much you understand, just carry on without pausing. You will find that over time you can understand much more speech and at natural tempo. Understanding is usually stronger than speaking, especially with a fiendish grammar like Finnish, but once your passive Finnish is at certain level you'll notice how fast you'll start retaining words and structures in your active vocabulary, too. One thing that helped me enormously when learning and medical latin vocabulary was combining daytime active learning with learning during sleep. I recorded my own set of words with translations and let it loop all night. (No problem because I slept alone.) I did similar kind of thing when a teenager learning French: I tried to stay awake listening to a long wave radio at night but falling asleep with it on. When it came to exam my listening comprehension was the best in my French class even though I was at the bottom at everything else: I never paid attention during lessons and never did any homework.

Hyvä Dave! Mahtavaa että olet päättänyt opetella suomea.

Jumalauta, että on makeeta seurata kun äijä vetää noin katu-uskottavasti pirullisen hyvää suomea! Sama suomeksi; Arvostan suuresti, että opettelet meidän vaikeaa kieltämme ja taivutusmuodot on pieniä virheitä. Respect!

your finnish is awesome! nice to hear finnish words so "clean"

Good luck for the year im exited to hear the end result!

I love the idea that one missed hour due sickness or something does not mean two hours on the next day! The extra 10 minutes on six following days feels so much nicer. Maybe I'm gonna use the same doing my bachelor thesis 😊

You can do it; Sinä pystyt siihen! Best of luck, Dave.

lolled at "perkele" xD

Learning new language can be almost like physical exercise when you are totally focused on the task at hand. Especially when doing 'remote learning' out of the school.

The single most important personal characteristic for a language learner is risk taking. If you wait until you can say something perfectly, it wil be a king tune before toy day anything, so get out there and do it! We're behind you all the way! Given that about 40% of a communication event is un the nonverbals, you may want to put phone conversations off for a while, at least for recording.

Listening skills are the foundation when it comes to language learning. That is how the children learn. You need to understand the speech so that you can respond correctly and instinctively. Each language student has two vocabularies; passive repository, which means understanding speech and writing. An active vocabulary is one that lets you express your thoughts. Understanding increases your confidence. There are clearly four different skills involved in learning a language. Listening, speaking pronunciation and reading. Choosing the right order makes studying easier. Each ability must be practiced individually. Especially at the beginning of studying. Listen in a foreign language on topics that interest you. Studying is most interesting when combined with as many of the things that interest you most.

Good luck Dave! I start to learn finnish too. :o)

Hey...glad you are doing this series. I recently moved for Finland. I am married to a Finnish man. I have started my language learning journey. I have a goal for my first year too. My biggest fear is not understanding what is said back to me. I am able to start a conversation, but understanding what is said back to me is difficult. Good luck to both of us.

Getting the courage to speak Finnish is my biggest problem too! I’m finnish and live in Finland, but speak Swedish. I’m learning Finnish in school, and do pretty much perfectly on tests and stuff. I understand finnish really well, but i just can’t muster up the courage to actually speak it. I’m just so scared to get even the tiniest bit of grammar wrong, so instead, i don’t talk at all. The only reason why I am able speak English is because I know I do it pretty much perfectly

aight, same story here. I am so tired of not being able to speak to most of the family of my finnish girlfriend. And I made my mind up this year. Gonna learn enough finnish for surviving a couple hours in the same room with people who dont understand eachother. half an hour a day split in 10 minutes eavh of learning words and grammar. and half an hour in talking and reacting to girlfriend. works fine so far!

That hoodie always reminds me of "aerodynamics of a cow"

Your challenge: Go to the library and ask for a book. Then ask a few questions about the book😁

Living in Turku for a little over 2 years, and it bugs me that I’m still not able to speak! I don’t think 1 hour would be enough though... once my toddler is in päiväkoti, I wanna to back to a full time course, otherwise he’ll speak before I do 😂

I recommend learning Finnish in many different ways - maybe trying to read comics or news in Finnish (Yle has news written in more simple Finnish "selkosuomi"). Also, there are many discussion groups for immigrants where they can practice speaking Finnish with Finns. I recommend going to one of those! Not sure where these groups would be in Helsinki, but I'm sure google can help you there :)

I noticed new video from you ➡️ 4,5 months old daughter sleeping on my lap ➡️ started watching ➡️ you ripped the cardboard ➡️ she woke up 😂😂🙈 and yaa my bf didn't speak Finnish very well when we met, but now much better. Poor guy struggled with me cause I speak much and really fast 😂 also he liked to keep TV or radio on for a background noise, just to listen to Finnish 😁👌🏻 good luck! You're on a good path 👏🏻

Doing good mate, just have the patience and courage!

You are very good at speaking Finnish Dave. / Sinä olet tosi hyvä puhumaan suomea Dave.

I live In Parainen and it is a great place and its great to learn finnish plus i talk finnish

I appreciate you, you support square root of last answer brand :) Very scientific :)

I just started learning finnish, and I am pretty dedicated on learning it. I wish we have the same amount of dedication.

Tiedän, että on varmasti vaikeaa ja pelottavaa puhua suomea. Eihän se ole mikään helppo kieli, virheitä tulee meille suomalaisillekin :D Mutta kieliä oppii parhaiten puhumalla, joten rohkeasti vain! Luultavasti suomalaiset ovat vain iloisia, kun edes yrität :) You can do it!

Good luck. Normally you can be dropped off in a foreign land and get around pretty good after 6 months. My problem is my Finnish wife is such a PERFECTIONIST that it not fun to learn. I also learned that everyone except really old folks in Finland already speak English. I decided I had better things to do with my life than try to learn a language Rosetta Stone and Google said "Forget it!"

You can do it..think about it this way... Learning finnnish for someone who speaks a germanic language is hard. But it is also quite hard for a finn to speak a germanic language abroad. And we finns love to travel! Just talk and go for it!

My friend's friend learned finnish while my friend's child learned to talk. They both watched children programs for few years together... I would recommend you to watch those with Chad also while learning

Some thoughts after 20 years of living in Turku. 1. Just change it to "En puhu paljon suomea vielä". 2. Make loads of mistakes, its the best way to learn. 3. Don't try to get it perfect. 4. Keep it as simple as possible. 5. A good effort is always good enough. 6. Your ability to speak Finnish has no bearing on your worth as a person. 7. Have fun with it! Keep going! Jaksa-jaksa! 👍

Wassup Dave Im from Finland nut my mother tongue is swedish and both of my parents are swedish speaking to... When i was about 13 (and have learned finnish in school for 6 years) my finnish was terrible and i remebered that I was so embarrassed bacause i was a finnish citizen and I cant speak the language that 94 % of the finnish population speaks. Here is a tip: School is good for the like really basics but if you reakky want to have a full conversation then school is shit. Just speak finnish with some friends on a daily basis instead I have learnt finnish from that not from a school or a book and try to listen to some finnish music also and hear how they pronounce word. I recommend Mökkitie - Arttu Wiskari

Hello dave im a big fan

I've studied 7 languages and the best way to learn it I've found is simply to use it. Realizing that its okay to make mistakes and that its not impolite to start in finnish and then completely not understand. The important part it trying and making the first step. I've told my host family in Japan that I like eating grated humans instead of grated carrot. I also just put words in a string without any idea of the correct grammar.

You should do a finnish learning video with Gen Takagi, it would be fun to see 👍 Ps im Finnish too 🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮

Man, Leo has grown a lot

After you do these lessons for three months, have Kat speak to you ONLY in Finnish for a few hours in the evening. Then after another three months, step it up to phone calls are only in Finnish and more speaking at home is only in Finnish.

Very cool because you learning finnish🔤 I like your video so much👍🇬🇧🇫🇮

A tip, if there is "reading dogs" in library in Helsinki, go to a library and read some finnish childrens book for the dog. Just be brave and try speak finnish even it feels hard. Finnish people are very helpful and they will appreciate very much if a foreigner is trying to learn finnish! I have a russian friend at school and even though her finnish is not perfect I understand her perfectly and I appreciate her very much for trying. Speaking is the only way to learn this language and to get rid of the fear. No one wont laugh at you for trying! I can write english pretty easily but when it comes to speaking it... Oh boy! I really should do it more because i freeze quite often when a foreigner asks something in english 😂 and i think you pronounce finnish quite well! So get out there, speak finnish and don't get upset if you do mistakes! That is how you'll learn more! Tsemppiä!

Upea juttu Dave!

I like learn english when i am walking alone. I imagine that i am talking to someone who speak only english and i try tel him/her about some interesting topic.

Good luck to learn a finnish language, it's very difficult!👌😄

I have done it in 8 months. 4 h day learning . Advice memorise the grammar by starting verbs. Tenses and reading and listening

Hey Dave, have you tried the Mondly app yet? For me, that one is the most helpful in learning Finnish, and it isn't nearly as overwhelming as WordDive or Finnishpod101.

Dude, we're starting in the same time! it will be a nice following along with you to track my progress :D Let's make it to the Finnish line.

TIP OR GET TIPPED challenge: You ask random people on the street to ask a basic question in finnish. If you know the answer you give them a tip and if you don`t , they give you a tip. It can be anything from chocolate bars to actual money. You can`t measure your learning finnish in money , can`t you?

Dualingo(or duo) is a pretty nice app too!

So I think I'm speaking for a lot of Finnish people (or at least Finnish youth) when I say that many of us have learned English primarily through movies, tv, video games, the internet and so on. School, apps and other actual learning sources are useful when you want to get the grammar right or when you're just getting started, but eventually you should start reading Finnish stuff and watching Finnish movies and TV without English subtitles (though I do recommend having Finnish subtitles so you don't miss any words)

Respect, olet hyvä mies!

And the most important thing to remember, your grammar and stuff does not have to be PERFECT! The most important thing is that the person you're talking to understands what youre trying to say! 😊

I would like to see you go to a Bingo! It is easy start and you only need to learn numbers from 1 to ... 80? or something. And It is also fun, trust me :D

i am so proud of you

You should put your phone and eatch in finnish as well so you learn stuff everytime you use it.

Maybe I should join that challange...

Read Finnish everyday. Watch Finnish TV, everyday. Watch your favourite movie with Finnish subtitles.

You should go to the Subway and order something in finnish!!

Älä masennu, kyllä sää pystyt siihe ✌️👍💪

Moi, lue sarjakuvia, vaikka Aku Ankkaa ! Itse opettelin kreikkaa lukemalla kreikankielisiä Tintti- sarjakuvia. Onnea opintoihin!

Challenge: use your favorite social media in Finnish for one week 👍

Ffs, if kat only speaks finnish at home you will be fluent in no time. Of course this would mean no sex until adequate skills.

Okei this time you try very hard . And next year you try very hard also. C an you say maksalaatikko?

it is not your fault that you have not yet learned a new language but because it is so easy to live in Helsinki even if you are not Finnish