I'm going on a foreign exchange to Finland next (school (I.E this August)) year. I'm using [URL="http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Finnish"]FSI Finnish[/URL] to learn. Are there any Finnish Facepunchers out there, or anyone who has been to Finland? What's it like? Is there any advice you would offer me, or anything I should know?
There's a Finnish chat thread in this section, ask there.
It's ballfreezingly cold, get warm clothes.
Finnish sucks as a language
Finnish is quite an easy language to learn, I've been there for about 4 months. The people are different compared to other European countries. More closed kind of people, hard to understand (they speak a bit more inward and monotone, robotic like), barely anyone speaks English (unless you go to Helsinki). Food prices are really expensive, unless you go to Lidl (about 3 times more in comparison to other countries), compensates with electricity costs and free education though.
Also, my experience. Noone would help you if you would get wounded. There was this guy in a grill-restaurant place that just fell on the floor, broke glasses everywhere, there were about 12 persons there and noone helped him.
It really depends on what you are used to. It's nice and quiet, people keep big distances from each other, also in a sense as in they won't come speaking to you.
[QUOTE=Croix;35304201]It's ballfreezingly cold, get warm clothes.
Finnish sucks as a language[/QUOTE]
Uhh it isn't cold year round, there's this thing called summer where it gets to +30c.
People speaks engiles elsewhere than Helsinki too. Only some older people can't speak english.
And people will help you depending on the area, in some bad reputated tenement areas and grill queues at night.
[QUOTE=oskutin;35424030]People speaks engiles elsewhere than Helsinki too. Only some older people can't speak english.
And people will help you depending on the area, in some bad reputated tenement areas and grill queues at night.[/QUOTE]
I've been in the North mainly, at the border between Sweden and Finland. Haparanda - Oulu ranging to Kemijärvi. Pretty primeval people. And to my experience noone could speak any English, other than in Sweden. I get the point that nature wise, it's a nice country. But the patriotism just pisses me off.
We finns are racist introverts. Remember that and watch out.
About Finnish as a language: nobody speaks literary Finnish (the typed sort), most everybody uses some sort of dialect, like for example:
English:
My name is Mikko, I'm a Finn and we're fairly nice people overall
lit. Finnish:
Minun nimeni on Mikko, olen suomalainen ja olemme melko mukavia ihmisiä kaiken kaikkiaan
how I'd say this:
Mun nimi o Mikko, oon suomalaine ja oomme melko mukavii ihmisii kaiken kaikkiaa
Mostly we finns are not very helpful people, try not to ask directions, many get uncomfortable when someone does that.
Some finns are nice, some are racist, some young folks are cool and some are idiots, totally depending on where in finland you are.
Try a finnish sauna if you can.
There isnt much to see in finland. Sure we got nice forests and nature, if you interested in that sort of stuff.
Where in finland are you going to?
[QUOTE=MegaErathia;35424341]I've been in the North mainly, at the border between Sweden and Finland. Haparanda - Oulu ranging to Kemijärvi. Pretty primeval people. And to my experience noone could speak any English, other than in Sweden. I get the point that nature wise, it's a nice country. But the patriotism just pisses me off.[/QUOTE]
Pfft. I visit Tornio (The town on the beach opposite Haparanda (Practically same town, the border just is in between)) yearly and it's a really nice place.
Also every finn knows how to speak decent english. The older the person, the less likely is the good ability for english though.
Edit: It's somewhat exaggerative that finnish people aren't helpful or that they are all racist etcetera. That's just as much a sterotype as any.
Edit2: Something that I can agree on is that in Finland people aren't so easy going, people may be quite reserved towards strangers, this considers finnish to finnish relations too, though.
Edit3: Oh also violence is pretty rare and you can probably feel as safe as anywhere, just use common sense.
Avoid grill queues :v:
Atleast at nights.
[QUOTE=Major Helper;35424761]Mun nimi o Mikko, oon suomalaine ja oomme melko mukavii ihmisii kaiken kaikkiaa[/QUOTE]
now i agree, it IS a simple language
what the fuck is that
[editline]4th April 2012[/editline]
I am going to attempt to phonetically spell that.
Moon knee-mee oh Mee-co, oon sue-mal-ayn ja oom-me mel-ko moo-ka-vee eh-me-see k-eye-ken k-eye-k-key-ah.
God I hope that's wrong.
Finnish is ridiculously difficult to have perfect grammar in.
For example, here are all the forms for the world "kauppa" (shop)
[url]http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/~fkarlsso/genkau2.html[/url]
That's about right yes.
Let's grab another example:
I'm searching for the trainstation, could you please tell me where it is? -Sure, it's one block that way, after which it's on your right side.
Etsin juna-asemaa, olisitko ystävällinen ja kertoisitko minulle missä se on? -Toki, se on yhden korttelin tuonnepäin, jonka jälkeen se on sinun oikealla puolellasi.
Ehin juna-asemaa, oisikko ystävälline ja kertosikko mulle mis se o? -Toki, se o yhe korttelin tonnepäi, jonka jälkee se o siu oikeel puolel.
As you can see, we Finns try to shorten our sentences a little to save time and finish the conversation as soon as possible.
[QUOTE=Major Helper;35427956]That's about right yes.
Let's grab another example:
I'm searching for the trainstation, could you please tell me where it is? -Sure, it's one block that way, after which it's on your right side.
Etsin juna-asemaa, olisitko ystävällinen ja kertoisitko minulle missä se on? -Toki, se on yhden korttelin tuonnepäin, jonka jälkeen se on sinun oikealla puolellasi.
Ehin juna-asemaa, oisikko ystävälline ja kertosikko mulle mis se o? -Toki, se o yhe korttelin tonnepäi, jonka jälkee se o siu oikeel puolel.
As you can see, we Finns try to shorten our sentences a little to save time and finish the conversation as soon as possible.[/QUOTE]
That's because us Finns are cold and emotionless and scared of human contact.
Exactly, don't talk to us if you can avoid it and we'll get along just fine. If you absolutely insist on doing so, please compliment our country as much as possible so we'll feel better.
I kind of wish I wasn't scared to post anything out of line here, because I'd add a few emoticons there to smoothen the message a little. We're not THAT bad, just quite bad. Of course, this is a gross over-simplification.
Over the internet we're fairly talkative though, but even then we don't do much small-talk.
What's a grill queue?
[QUOTE=Hunterdnrc;35428099]What's a grill queue?[/QUOTE]
It is a queue. In front of a grill kiosk.
[img]http://www.vastavalo.fi/albums/userpics/11816/normal_20091005ARIA010.jpg[/img]
You may think that those yellow dots in the base of the building would be cigarette stubs, but infact they are teeth.
[QUOTE=Zinayzen;35427800]
Moon knee-mee oh Mee-co, oon sue-mal-ayn ja oom-me mel-ko moo-ka-vee eh-me-see k-eye-ken k-eye-k-key-ah.
[/QUOTE]
Because every language is pronounced like english with an accent.
[QUOTE=Zinayzen;35427800]now i agree, it IS a simple language
what the fuck is that
[editline]4th April 2012[/editline]
I am going to attempt to phonetically spell that.
Moon knee-mee oh Mee-co, oon sue-mal-ayn ja oom-me mel-ko moo-ka-vee eh-me-see k-eye-ken k-eye-k-key-ah.
God I hope that's wrong.[/QUOTE]
Wrong in a lot of ways. Talking like that would be fairly hilarious though.
Meh, for me it is a pretty fun place. People keep away from you, are shy and stuff.
You don't really see THAT many people around. Sure, they are there, but unless they are drunk and young, they keep quiet.
When they are drunk, then it is a completely other story! You see, most of the Estonian ~24yr. olds go to Finland to work and when they get drunk, they can get bad.
[QUOTE=AlphaGunman;35427951]Finnish is ridiculously difficult to have perfect grammar in.
For example, here are all the forms for the world "kauppa" (shop)
[url]http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/~fkarlsso/genkau2.html[/url][/QUOTE]
Except you truly only need to know like three of those
[QUOTE=Komeight;35428915]Except you truly only need to know like three of those[/QUOTE]
Fuck grammar.
[QUOTE=Zinayzen;35427800]now i agree, it IS a simple language
what the fuck is that
[editline]4th April 2012[/editline]
I am going to attempt to phonetically spell that.
Moon knee-mee oh Mee-co, oon sue-mal-ayn ja oom-me mel-ko moo-ka-vee eh-me-see k-eye-ken k-eye-k-key-ah.
God I hope that's wrong.[/QUOTE]
[media]http://soundcloud.com/user9241591/untitled-6-23[/media]
Thats about it. Sorry about my mic though, it makes me sound pretty weird.
[QUOTE=Hunterdnrc;35428099]What's a grill queue?[/QUOTE]
It's a place where you learn the basics of martial arts and self defence, or die trying.
Everything is expensive here in Finland, Food, Restaurants, The gas prices are up to 1.73€/L.
Finns are usually silent (Except when they get drunk)
Try Sauna it's awesome.
Where are you going to live?
[QUOTE=Ponu;35429770]Everything is expensive here in Finland, Food, Restaurants, The gas prices are up to 1.73€/L.[/QUOTE]
And taxes, taxes everywhere.
Socialism:eng101:
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