Languages > Finnish > Finnish, Comprehensive

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Includes 30 lessons and reading instruction on 16 CDs, plus a reading booklet

About the Finnish Language

• Finnish belongs to the Finnic branch of the Finno-Ugric family of languages.
• Its closest relative is Estonian; Hungarian is a distant cousin.
• It is spoken by approximately 5.2 million people, mostly in Finland, and by some in Sweden and Russia as well.
• There are three varieties of standard Finnish which are spoken throughout the country:
  • kirjakieli ("book language") - used in official documents, official speeches and the daily news,
  • yleiskieli - the standard language used in schools; it is formal and correct, though more relaxed than the "book language," and
  • puhekieli ("spoken language") - more casual variety used in everyday conversation, which changes frequently.

This course teaches the standard Finnish language, yleiskieli

Pimsleur's Finnish Comprehensive Language Program

The Pimsleur® Method: the easiest, fastest way to learn a new language. Completely portable, easily downloadable, and lots of fun. You’ll be speaking and understanding in no time flat! Finnish, Comprehensive includes 15 hours of spoken language practice and one hour of reading instruction in thirty, 30-minute lessons.

• In the first 10 lessons, you’ll cover the basics: saying hello, asking for or giving information, scheduling a meal or a meeting, asking for or giving basic directions, and much more. You’ll be able to handle minimum courtesy requirements, understand much of what you hear, and be understood at a beginning level, but with near-native pronunciation skills.
• In the next 10 lessons, you’ll build on what you’ve learned. Expand your menu, increase your scheduling abilities from general to specific, start to deal with currency and exchanging money, refine your conversations and add over a hundred new vocabulary items. You’ll understand more of what you hear, and be able to participate with speech that is smoother and more confident.
• In the final 10 lessons, you’ll be speaking and understanding at an intermediate level. In this phase, more directions are given in the target language, which moves your learning to a whole new plane. Lessons include shopping, visiting friends, going to a restaurant, plans for the evening, car trips, and talking about family. You’ll be able to speak comfortably about things that happened in the past and make plans for the future.

Reading Lessons begin in Unit 11 and provide you with an introduction to reading Finnish. These lessons are designed to teach you to sound out words with correct pronunciation and accent. In addition, combined Reading Lessons from all the units are included at the end. A Reading Booklet to be used with the audio lessons is also included in PDF format.