I used Dialang program when I was preparing myself to take the YKI test. It's free, but you have to download it before you can use it. This program is more useful for someone who knows some Finnish already, but I find it VERY useful!
There are 5 different tests in the program:
1. Reading.
2. Writing.
3. Listening.
4. Grammar.
5. Vocabulary.
This program is not only useful to test your Finnish level, but also for other languages like Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Icelandic, Irish, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish.
Have fun testing your language knowledge!!!
I went browsing through Finland Forum and found these links in one of the discussions:
The infinitive game : http://www.quia.com/pop/6747.html
Choose the right case : http://www.quia.com/pop/2708.html
Question words: http://www.quia.com/pop/6518.html
Postpositions: http://www.quia.com/pop/2706.html
To play : pelata, soittaa vai leikkiä : http://www.quia.com/pop/3503.html
Osata, voida : http://www.quia.com/pop/3502.html
Plural case practices : http://www.quia.com/cb/4380.html
HAVE FUNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!! I'll also start trying these games he he he he...
Purely for practise, today I tried saying this to hubby in Finnish, "I want to dig your nose."
I should have said, "Haluan kaivaa sinun nenää."
Instead, I said, "Haluan kaivata sinun nenää", which means "I want to miss your nose."
BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...At least it made us laugh! ;-D
I noticed from my Viewers Stats that some people are looking for YKI Testi tryouts. Well, the one I used to practise before I went through YKI Testi was this one (updated on 06.04.13 because the older link didn't work anymore):
YKI Demo
Updated on 17.01.2013. Another link filled with marvelous exercises to prepare for YKI testi:
P.S. Starting from 2012 if I'm not mistaken, the grammar part has been eliminated from the test.
Let me try to remember what I had to do in the test...hmmm...my advice is just to try to WRITE DOWN your answers ASAP during the listening comprehension test. DO NOT wait until the second time you finish listening to the tapes before you try writing them down as you won't have enough time to do it and prepare yourself for the next passages.
1. Listening Comprehension
We were given a booklet which we mustn't open until they told us so. So we had no time to prepare ourselves. We took the YKI testi level 3 and 4 and we could listen to the tapes twice. We were also given a sheet of paper for the answers, but first we could mark the answers on the booklet. MAKE SURE, though, that after you listen to the tapes and they give you time, you should MOVE the answers from the booklet to the answer sheet.
Anyway, there were a number of multiple choices. For example, for one listening passage, we were given 4 multiple choices questions. Just try to relax and answer each of them, even though you aren't sure of the right answers.
Then after a few multiple choices questions, we had to write down phrases of answers in the space given (this type of thing you don't have to move to the answer sheet, just write them down on the booklet). This part was HARD since we had no time to think and write down the answers well.
2. Speaking Part.
This was the most HORRIBLE part of all. It was SO quick and we really had no time to think. I remember on the booklet there was this long passage of conversation between us and another person. We were supposed to call someone to book some food for a party for a certain number of people, so we had to ask the guy about this and that.
So it would look like this on the booklet:
A: Party Planner Inc.
B: (Say hi and introduce yourself) - 15 seconds
A: How can I help you?
B: (Say that you want to organize a party for 20 people on a certain day and ask what kind of catering they have to offer) - 20 seconds
And it goes on for around 20 more lines....
First they gave you time to read the whole thing once, but when you listened to the tape and tried to answer the questions, you just felt overwhelmed, but just try to SAY something no matter what and don't give up!!!
Another part of the speaking test was to call the police to say that there was an accident. You have to describe how many people are hurt, how many people are dead, the location of the place, etc. You're given a certain amount of time to say all these things.
Another part was that you had lost a pet and you had to describe the kind of pet it was: a cat or dog and what colour it was and when was the last time you saw it. Again you're given a certain amount of time to say all these things.
Then the longest speaking part is where you can choose between two topics. First you're given time to read the topic and think. Then you just need to babble for about 1 whole minute. Just try to say as many things as possible. It doesn't matter if time has run out. Just show how much you can say in this last part.
3. Reading Comprehension
I guess there's nothing new about this. You just need to read and pick on the right answers he he he he he...The problem with me was my limited vocabulary, so I had to guess a lot, but no worries. Just try to answer every single question.
4. Grammar
The grammar part is rather difficult. I was only 50% sure about it. The first part was finding synonyms, which was HARD. There were at least 40-60 words and they gave us three possible synonyms to pick for each word. Again since our vocabulary was limited, I bet we screwed up ha ha ha ha ha...
The next part was just finding the right form (again multiple questions). This was easier than the first part. Thank GOD!!!
The next part was again hard since we had to fill in the blanks with only one or two words!!!!! I remember that in one particular question, we had to fill in "mieltään" as the word before it was "osoittaa".
Osoittaa mieltä = demonstrate
Imagine that you don't know that those two words combination means demonstrate, then you wouldn't know how to fill in that blank, right? So make sure you also study these types of phrases, but don't worry even if you can't remember them all, since even though I wasn't sure about passing it, I passed it anyway HI HI HI HI HI HI...
5. Writing Part.
This was my fave part and the part where I KNEW I'd pass he he he...
First I had to write an email to somebody (a friend or whatever) to ask her to go out to a certain concert that we both like. I have to state the time and the kind of concert and where it is held.
Second I had to write a letter of complaint to my landlord since there's some trouble with my apartment. I have to create the problem myself (it can be anything you want) and then I have to ask him politely to fix the problem.
Thirdly we were given topics to choose to write about. Basically in this third part, you have to give reasons on why you think A is good and why you think B is bad. Compare and contrast.
Okay, that's all I can remember for now. Hope this helps!!!
GOOD LUCK for everybody who's trying to pass YKI Testi. If you have any more questions, feel free to contact me through the comment section or email me at amelfinland at yahoo dot com.
I've also found this link that would enable you to do more exercises:
Updated on 17.01.2013. Another link filled with marvelous exercises to prepare for YKI testi:
P.S. Starting from 2012 if I'm not mistaken, the grammar part has been eliminated from the test.
Let me try to remember what I had to do in the test...hmmm...my advice is just to try to WRITE DOWN your answers ASAP during the listening comprehension test. DO NOT wait until the second time you finish listening to the tapes before you try writing them down as you won't have enough time to do it and prepare yourself for the next passages.
1. Listening Comprehension
We were given a booklet which we mustn't open until they told us so. So we had no time to prepare ourselves. We took the YKI testi level 3 and 4 and we could listen to the tapes twice. We were also given a sheet of paper for the answers, but first we could mark the answers on the booklet. MAKE SURE, though, that after you listen to the tapes and they give you time, you should MOVE the answers from the booklet to the answer sheet.
Anyway, there were a number of multiple choices. For example, for one listening passage, we were given 4 multiple choices questions. Just try to relax and answer each of them, even though you aren't sure of the right answers.
Then after a few multiple choices questions, we had to write down phrases of answers in the space given (this type of thing you don't have to move to the answer sheet, just write them down on the booklet). This part was HARD since we had no time to think and write down the answers well.
2. Speaking Part.
This was the most HORRIBLE part of all. It was SO quick and we really had no time to think. I remember on the booklet there was this long passage of conversation between us and another person. We were supposed to call someone to book some food for a party for a certain number of people, so we had to ask the guy about this and that.
So it would look like this on the booklet:
A: Party Planner Inc.
B: (Say hi and introduce yourself) - 15 seconds
A: How can I help you?
B: (Say that you want to organize a party for 20 people on a certain day and ask what kind of catering they have to offer) - 20 seconds
And it goes on for around 20 more lines....
First they gave you time to read the whole thing once, but when you listened to the tape and tried to answer the questions, you just felt overwhelmed, but just try to SAY something no matter what and don't give up!!!
Another part of the speaking test was to call the police to say that there was an accident. You have to describe how many people are hurt, how many people are dead, the location of the place, etc. You're given a certain amount of time to say all these things.
Another part was that you had lost a pet and you had to describe the kind of pet it was: a cat or dog and what colour it was and when was the last time you saw it. Again you're given a certain amount of time to say all these things.
Then the longest speaking part is where you can choose between two topics. First you're given time to read the topic and think. Then you just need to babble for about 1 whole minute. Just try to say as many things as possible. It doesn't matter if time has run out. Just show how much you can say in this last part.
3. Reading Comprehension
I guess there's nothing new about this. You just need to read and pick on the right answers he he he he he...The problem with me was my limited vocabulary, so I had to guess a lot, but no worries. Just try to answer every single question.
4. Grammar
The grammar part is rather difficult. I was only 50% sure about it. The first part was finding synonyms, which was HARD. There were at least 40-60 words and they gave us three possible synonyms to pick for each word. Again since our vocabulary was limited, I bet we screwed up ha ha ha ha ha...
The next part was just finding the right form (again multiple questions). This was easier than the first part. Thank GOD!!!
The next part was again hard since we had to fill in the blanks with only one or two words!!!!! I remember that in one particular question, we had to fill in "mieltään" as the word before it was "osoittaa".
Osoittaa mieltä = demonstrate
Imagine that you don't know that those two words combination means demonstrate, then you wouldn't know how to fill in that blank, right? So make sure you also study these types of phrases, but don't worry even if you can't remember them all, since even though I wasn't sure about passing it, I passed it anyway HI HI HI HI HI HI...
5. Writing Part.
This was my fave part and the part where I KNEW I'd pass he he he...
First I had to write an email to somebody (a friend or whatever) to ask her to go out to a certain concert that we both like. I have to state the time and the kind of concert and where it is held.
Second I had to write a letter of complaint to my landlord since there's some trouble with my apartment. I have to create the problem myself (it can be anything you want) and then I have to ask him politely to fix the problem.
Thirdly we were given topics to choose to write about. Basically in this third part, you have to give reasons on why you think A is good and why you think B is bad. Compare and contrast.
Okay, that's all I can remember for now. Hope this helps!!!
GOOD LUCK for everybody who's trying to pass YKI Testi. If you have any more questions, feel free to contact me through the comment section or email me at amelfinland at yahoo dot com.
Found another site that may be useful for you in learning Finnish. Again I don't know how complete it is, but I've found useful conjugation/inflection tables by writing down Finnish words in their search box.
Here it is: Sanakirja.org
For example, if I put in "olut" (beer) in the search box and then click "Hae", here's what I get:
http://www.sanakirja.org/search.php?q=olut&l=17&l2=3
If you click on it, you'll see that the site also gives you synonyms of the words in slang words and old words. I've personally bookmarked this site for future use. :-))))
If you click on it, you'll see that the site also gives you synonyms of the words in slang words and old words. I've personally bookmarked this site for future use. :-))))
Read this passage in this website:
Kerran satuin kysymään englanniksi, paljonko kello on. Se , jolta kysyin, alkoi juosta, ja minä juoksin perään, koska en tiennyt, miksi hän juoksi. Halusin tietää, paljonko kello on. Hän juoksi, ja minä juoksin perässä ja kysyin koko ajan, paljonko kello on. Sitten minä tajusin: - Voi että, hän juoksee minua pakoon! (Renata)
The website is filled with experiences of expats in Finland. Let me translate what she wrote and let's assume that the person she talked to was a woman. I really feel for her when reading the passage. :-((((
"Once I happened to ask someone (in English) what time it was. The person started to run and I ran after her, because I didn't know why she ran. I just wanted to know what time it was. She ran and all the while I was running after her, I kept on asking what time it was. And then I realized, "Oh dear, she's trying to escape from me!"
If you need to know the different forms of words in Finnish, you can go here:
Wikisanakirja
In the box, you only need to type the word and then on the next page, click on "Taivutus" (Inflection, Conjugation).
I don't know how complete it is, but I tried putting in three words and they all come up with a complete table of the forms and I find it VERY handy. Of course it's better if you try to conjugate or inflect the words yourself, but at least you can compare your version with that in this website.
For example, here's the table for the word "Jakaa" (Share or Divide). ---> click on the link.
I think I'm going to use this link even more than now so that I don't have to keep asking my husband he he he he...
I don't know how complete it is, but I tried putting in three words and they all come up with a complete table of the forms and I find it VERY handy. Of course it's better if you try to conjugate or inflect the words yourself, but at least you can compare your version with that in this website.
For example, here's the table for the word "Jakaa" (Share or Divide). ---> click on the link.
I think I'm going to use this link even more than now so that I don't have to keep asking my husband he he he he...
I found this site where you can get plenty of information about Finnish in English.
Finnish Grammar
Plus you can also read plenty of sentence examples and important phrases (e.g. to read between the lines) there including the meanings in English, so you don't have to struggle hard to understand them.
You can also browse through the vocabulary sections. I'd better start reading them myself, since there are many things I don't know yet! ;-D
For me personally, it's FUN to learn the grammar and try to find out how a sentence is formed. When reading magazines and learning new words and new forms of words, I try to remember the sentence and how to formulate it. Everybody has different ways of learning, so just keep on trying and NEVER give up!!!
The author has even written down the verb types, including some examples on how to form them into Present Tense, Past Tense, Past Perfect Tense, Present Conditional, Past Conditional, Imperative, and many more.
Plus you can also read plenty of sentence examples and important phrases (e.g. to read between the lines) there including the meanings in English, so you don't have to struggle hard to understand them.
You can also browse through the vocabulary sections. I'd better start reading them myself, since there are many things I don't know yet! ;-D
For me personally, it's FUN to learn the grammar and try to find out how a sentence is formed. When reading magazines and learning new words and new forms of words, I try to remember the sentence and how to formulate it. Everybody has different ways of learning, so just keep on trying and NEVER give up!!!
Since I noticed from my Feedburner account that there are people out there looking for reindeer meat recipes, so let me just write down these recipes I got from the booklet I took from the local tourist info office. So let me give you both the Finnish and English versions.
Rullat
5-8 kpl ohuita suorakaiteen muotoisia rieskoja tai tortillalevyjä
250 gr tuorejuustoa
250 gr kylmäsavustettua poroa
salaatin lehtiä
Voitele rieskat tuorejuustolla ja levitä päälle salaatinlehdet ja poroviipaleet. Kierrä rieskat tiiviille rullalle ja kääri rullat kelmuun. Anna maustua jääkaapissa 1-2 tuntia tai seuraavaan päivään. Poista kelmu ja leikkaa rullat 2-3 cm viipaleiksi. Asettele vadille houkuttelevaksi napostelupalaksi.
Rolls
5-8 thin unleavened bread or tortillas cut into rectangles
250 gr cream cheese
250 gr cold smoked reindeer meat
salad
Spread the cream cheese over the unleavened bread or tortillas and arrange salad and the meat slices on top. Roll them into tight rolls and wrap them in clingfilm. Leave them in the fridge for 1-2 hours or until the next day. Remove the clingfilm and cut the rolls into 2-3 cm thick slices. Arrange them attractively on a serving plate for a delicious snack to nibble on.
Porogulassikeitto
300 gr poron paistia
100 gr sipulia
30 gr voita
1 l vettä
1/2 tl paprikajauhetta
1/2 tl mustapippuria
1 kpl valkosipulin kynsi
300 gr perunoita
40 gr paprikaa
70 gr tomaattimursketta
80 gr pippurituorejuustoa
pizzamaustetta, basilikaa, suolaa, persiljaa
Kuutioi poronliha ja ruskista kevyesti pilkotun sipulin kanssa. Lisää lihat ja sipuli veteen ja mausta. Anna kiehua 15 minuuttia ja lisää kuutioidut perunat. Keitä edelleen n. 15 minuuttia, kunnes perunat kypsyvät. Lisää lopussa tomaattimurska ja pippurisulatejuusto. Sekoita kevyesti kunnes juusto sulaa joukkoon Mausta pizzamausteella ja basilikalla. Lisää vielä ennen tarjoilua pinnalle hienonnettua persiljaa.
Reindeer Goulash Soup
300 gr reindeer roast
100 gr onion
30 gr butter
1 l water
1/2 tsp paprika powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 clove of garlic
300 gr potatoes
40 gr paprika
70 gr crushed tomatoes
80 gr pepper cream cheese
pizza spice, basil, salt, parsley
Dice the meat and lightly brown it with the chopped onion. Add the meat and onion to the water and season. Let it boil for 15 min. or so until the potatoes are done. Finally, add the crushed tomatoes and pepper cream cheese. Stir lightly until the cheese melts into the rest of the ingredients. Season with pizza spice and basil. Garnish with finely chopped parsley just before serving it.
HAVE FUN trying out these recipes!
Last night I asked hubby about this sentence:
Tilaan liput huomiseksi.
Tilaan = I order (the dictionary form of the word is "tilata")
Liput = tickets (the dictionary form of the word is "lippu")
I was wondering what was the difference between huomenna and huomiseksi.
Turns out that huomiseksi means "for tomorrow's (show, opera, concert, etc.)", whereas huomenna simply means "tomorrow".
So if I say:
"Tilaan liput huomenna." ---> It simply means that I'll order the tickets tomorrow, but it's not clear whether I'll buy the tickets for which day of the show.
Now this is the breakdown of the word "tilata"
Present Tense:
Minä tilaan ----> Minä en tilaa
Sinä tilaat ----> Sinä et tilaa
Hän tilaa ----> Hän ei tilaa
Me tilaamme ----> Me emme tilaa
Te tilaatte ----> Te ette tilaa
He tilaavat ----> He eivät tilaa
Past Tense:
Minä tilasin ----> Minä en tilannut
Sinä tilasit ----> Sinä et tilannut
Hän tilasi ----> Hän ei tilannut
Me tilasimme ----> Me emme tilanneet
Te tilasitte ----> Te ette tilanneet
He tilasivat ----> He eivät tilanneet
If you use the negative form of the sentence, the object must ALWAYS be in partitive form.
For example let's use the object "uusi sohva":
a. Tilasin uuden sohvan kaupasta. ("I ordered a new sofa from the store". Here I use the -n ending 'coz the sofa is only one and it's a countable noun)
b. En tilannut uutta sohvaa kaupasta. ("I didn't order a new sofa from the store". Here I use the partitive form of "uusi sohva")
c. Hän tilaa kaksi uutta sohvaa. ("He orders two new sofas". If you use a number more than one in front of the object, then you should use the partitive form again)
Hmmm...since partitive is such a crazy topic to deal with, maybe I should write down separate posts to describe it completely. Okay, I'll end this here then.
As I continued learning Finnish from the book we got from the full-time Finnish course, I found this interesting sentence:
Jos voittaisin lotossa, ostaisin ison talon meren rannalta. (conditional form)
Translation: If I won the lottery, I'd buy a big house on the seashore.
What I found odd was the use of "rannalta" (which literally means "from the beach").
In English and Indonesian, if translated literally to Finnish, it should be "rannalla" (which literally means "on the beach").
I asked hubby about this and turns out that for the word "ostaa" (dictionary form), you have to use the -sta/stä or -lta/ltä endings, since it means you're buying something FROM someone or some place.
Other examples:
a. Ostin ison sanakirjan kirjakaupasta. (I bought a big dictionary from the bookstore.)
----> The -n ending in "iso" and "sanakirja" means that you're buying only ONE big dictionary (only applicable for countable objects).
b. Ostin pienen talon Haastajantieltä. (I bought a small house at Haastajantie - Haastajantie is a name of a street)
c. Ostan käytettyjä vaatteita häneltä. (I'll buy used clothes from her/him)
----> Here I use the partitive plural for the object (used clothes).
Let me try to translate some Finnish into English in this post. If you want to look up the comic strip, go here:
Wagner: "Niin minullakin."
Viivi: ?????
Wagner: Jäi housut kotiin."
Viivi: "I left my mobile at home. Gee, I feel naked!"
Wagner: "Me too."
Viivi wonders why.
Wagner: "I left my pants at home."
This is what I've learnt today while reading Aku Ankka he he he...
"Älä jätä huomiseen sitä, minkä voi tehdä tänään."
It means: "Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today."
At first I was confused why it's written "minkä", but now I get why. It's because if we break them down into two sentences, it'd be like this:
Älä jätä sitä huomiseen. Sen voi tehdä tänään.
Because it's "sen voi tehdä tänään", then the word "mikä" changed into "minkä".
P.S. I'm only learning here, so correct me if I'm wrong!!!
I was told about some beneficial beginner's Learn Finnish for Foreigners at youtube.
Here are the links:
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 1
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 2
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 3
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 4
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 5
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 6
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 7
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 8
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 9
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi - Extra (Xmas Stuff)
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi - Extra (Finnish Tongue Twisters)
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 2
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 3
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 4
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 5
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 6
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 7
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 8
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi Part 9
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi - Extra (Xmas Stuff)
Learn Finnish with Sulkasiipi - Extra (Finnish Tongue Twisters)
This one is harder for a beginner, but if you've learnt Finnish for a while, why not try this one to see if you can understand it or not? ;-D
P.S. Sulka means "feather" and siipi means "wing"
The first time I started learning Finnish was after I moved to Finland in 2007. Since I moved to Sodankylä, I didn't know how long I had to wait before there could be a proper Finnish course in this small village. I started learning the language on my own using the guide book I had and also SO many online sources.
Then in autumn 2007 there was a short evening Finnish course, which I enrolled in. We only had about 18 meetings altogether, though, and it was only about 1,5 hours per meeting. Even so, one of the greatest things about that short course was that I met other foreign friends he he he...
Then a miracle happened in the beginning of 2008 when työvoimatoimisto (the unemployment office) organized THE FIRST full-time Finnish course for foreigners in Sodankylä. It started in February and ended in June. We're SO lucky to get such a WONDERFUL teacher, Tatiana Senina.
I've learnt A LOT through the course and I hope that there'll be a continuation course next year, but in the meantime let me continue learning Finnish at home and I'm going to share my journey here.
Before I share the things I'm learning now, I thought it'd be better to share the links of the sites I've been using before the full-time course started.
Here are they in the order I've been using them (I haven't really completed all the lessons in some of the links, though, but I'll keep on using them to get the exercises or just for additional source of grammatical information):
1. Tavataan Taas!
This is my favourite link for a beginner in Finnish since you can also listen to the audio by pressing a button. Plus for the texts there is an English version right on the side, so you don't have to continue looking up the tough words in the dictionary or at the bottom of the page.
2. Uuno
This is a FUN site. You can view short batches of cartoons and if you hover your mouse on the Finnish words, you can see the English translation. If you click on the words or phrases in bubbles, then you get to listen to the speaker saying the words.
They also have a separate part for a little bit of grammar and vocabulary. You should start with Uuno and then continue with Uuno 2.
3. From Start to Finnish
This is another one of my favourite, though the lessons aren't complete yet. I mean, the moderator is still adding more and more lessons. The great thing about this one is that the grammar explanation is in English and they're pretty good (concise but complete) and you get enough practise, too. You can even communicate with the moderator (it's like a forum) and submit your answers for each lesson.
Remember to start from the first lesson, which is located at the bottom of the page.
I find that these three are the easiest to start with when you want to learn Finnish.
Then at the end of my studies at the course, I also found this site:
4. Uusi Kielemme - Finnish for Busy People
In the site you can actually order lessons online from the teacher (the teacher is a foreigner who's mastered the Finnish language) and each lesson is suited to each student's abilities. However, you can find plenty of Finnish grammar explanations in English here.
I find that the grammar explanation will REALLY help beginners understand the "crazy" changes in Finnish.
There is even a list of recommended books and a list of important vocabulary, too. Click on the "Uusi Kielemme" link to view them.
Okay, I think this is enough for you to begin with. There are plenty of other online materials, but you should get through at least the first three of these links first, especially "From Start to Finnish" before continuing with other links. I'll add more links as time goes by, okay?
And remember to take it slow, especially when you're learning it on your own. The progress may feel SLOW, but don't worry about it! Just keep on learning and practising and you need LOTS of repetition, too he he he...but you'll make it one day! Just hang in there!!!
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