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Finnish Online Evening Language Classes (All Levels)

  • 60 hours per year (2 hours a week over 30 weeks)
  • 30 weeks (over 3 terms)

Overview - Finnish (all levels)

These 30-week online courses will help you communicate with confidence in Finnish.

They're available at all levels and run over three ten-week terms at 6.30pm on weekday evenings.

You'll learn Finnish as it's spoken today in everyday situations - from basic survival skills for beginners, through to fluent discussions on contemporary issues for more advanced learners.

You'll practice all four language skills - reading, writing, listening and speaking - with particular emphasis on oral communication.

This course is run by UCL's School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES). All teachers are either native speakers or have native fluency in the languages they teach.

Course content / learning outcomes (by level)

All levels give you practice in reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Level 1 - Beginners Finnish

Gain the basic skills you need in Finnish to provide a solid basis for further language learning.

The course covers the simple main areas of grammar and basic vocabulary. You'll learn how to use the language in simple and familiar everyday situations.

By the end of the course you should:

  • be able to use the language effectively for practical communication
  • have a range and variety of vocabulary
  • be able to understand and respond to simple spoken language
  • understand common public notices and signs, and cope with everyday situations and routine social conversation
  • understand the basic terminology and concepts of grammar
  • have gained insights into the culture, history and civilisation of the country

The SSEES website has more detailed course content for Finnish Level 1 (Beginners).

Level 2 - Lower Intermediate Finnish

Develop the skills you need to be able to understand and communicate in Finnish on a variety of practical everyday matters.

You'll revise, consolidate, and build on your existing skills. You'll gain further understanding of Finnish grammar and a broader vocabulary, while improving your reading, writing, speaking and listening.

By the end of the course you should:

  • have developed your ability to use the language effectively for practical communication, reinforcing and extending your existing knowledge
  • have improved spoken language fluency, showing knowledge of a wide range of vocabulary and appropriate register
  • be able to cope more confidently with everyday situations and routine social conversation
  • have developed your knowledge of basic terminology and concepts of grammar
  • have gained further insights into the culture, history and civilisation of the country

The SSEES website has more detailed course content for Finnish Level 2 (Lower Intermediate).

Level 3 - Upper Intermediate Finnish

Learn to get by in most Finnish-speaking environments and retrieve information from authentic materials.

You'll develop your linguistic and cultural awareness through continuous revision of what you've already learned, while building on your existing knowledge.

By the end of the course you should:

  • have further developed your ability to use the language effectively for practical communication purposes, reinforcing and extending your existing knowledge
  • be able to communicate effectively with a native speaker, with a degree of fluency and spontaneity
  • be able to use the language flexibly and effectively for social and professional purposes, retrieving information from authentic materials
  • be able to outline an issue or problem clearly, speculating about causes or consequences, weighing advantages and disadvantages of different approaches
  • have further developed your knowledge and understanding of concepts of grammar
  • have gained more sophisticated insights into the culture, history and civilisation of the country

The SSEES website has more detailed course content for Finnish Level 3 (Upper Intermediate).

Level 4 - Advanced Finnish

Understand and communicate with a degree of fluency and spontaneity on a variety of practical everyday and social matters.

Consolidate and build on the knowledge and language skills you've already acquired.

By the end of the course you should:

  • be approaching the level of an educated native speaker
  • have further developed your ability to use the language effectively for practical communication purposes, reinforcing and extending your existing knowledge
  • be able to communicate effectively with a native speaker, with a higher degree of fluency and spontaneity
  • be able to comfortably handle a range of social matters via familiarisation with regional accents, social register, idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms
  • have a good command of a broad lexical repertoire, readily overcoming gaps with circumlocution and repair techniques (i.e. finding ways to express something even if you don't know the exact word)
  • have advanced knowledge and understanding of concepts of grammar and pragmatics
  • have gained more sophisticated insights into the culture, history and civilisation of the country, so you can follow your own interests and carry out general research on topics close to your heart

The SSEES website has more detailed course content for Finnish Level 4 (Advanced).

Level 5 - Advanced Plus Finnish

As an already-fluent speaker of Finnish, this course will help you maintain and extend your knowledge of the language.

You'll also enhance your literacy, translation skills, and cultural awareness.

By the end of the course you should:

  • be able to maintain and extend near-fluency of the language, with the ability to communicate effectively with a native speaker with a degree of fluency and spontaneity
  • be able to flexibly handle a range of social matters via familiarisation with regional accents, social register, idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms, and inferring low-frequency word meaning or anything clearly implied but not explicitly stated
  • be able to follow and contribute to complex interactions with third parties in group discussions and debates, even on abstract, complex, unfamiliar topics
  • be able to research, prepare and confidently deliver oral presentations on historical or cultural topics
  • have acquired further insights into the culture, history and civilisation of the country, similar to those of a native speaker

The SSEES website has more detailed course content for Finnish Level 5 (Advanced Plus).

Who these courses are for

SSEES language courses are open to everyone. Classes are usually made up of a wide range of ages and professions, with various motivations for learning.

Entry requirements

  • Level 1 (Beginners) - suitable if you have little or no knowledge knowledge of Finnish. No knowledge of grammar is assumed and there are no entry requirements
  • Level 2 (Lower Intermediate) - for those who've completed Level 1 (or a similar course) or who have some knowledge of the language through regular visits to Finland or self study
  • Level 3 (Upper Intermediate) - for those who've completed Level 2 (or a similar course) and/or who have a sound knowledge of the basics of the language through extensive visits to Finland or self-study
  • Level 4 (Advanced) - for those who've successfully completed Level 3 (or a similar course) and/or who've developed a sound knowledge of the language through extensive visits to Finland, personal relationships, or working with the language
  • Level 5 (Advanced Plus) - for those who've successfully completed Level 4 (or a similar course) and who've developed an excellent knowledge of the language through using Finnish at work, or by living in a partly Finnish-speaking environment

Dates and times

Classes are held once a week on a weekday evening from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.

Classes take place on various days of the week. Timetables for individual courses are available on the SSEES website.

Classes will run between:

  • 9 October to 14 December 2023 (Autumn term)
  • 15 January and 24 March 2024 (Winter term) 
  • 6 May and 11 July 2022 (Summer term)

Please note: complete beginners can only start in October each year. Other levels may start in the winter or summer term.

Cost and concessions

The fees for external students are:

  • three terms (30 lessons) - £861
  • two terms (20 lessons) - £583
  • one term (10 lessons) - £310

Discounts are available for UCL and University of London (UoL) staff, students and alumni, and UCL staff relatives.

Detailed fees information is available on the SSEES website.

Assessment and certificates

Although the courses aren't formally assessed, you may be given formative ongoing assessments such as written and oral tests to aid revision and monitor your progress.

Those taking the more advanced levels may be asked to give pre-researched oral presentations to the group.

You can't earn credit for these courses, but you'll receive a signed UCL certificate of attendance on completing at least 70% of the course.

Contact SSEES staff for information about centres in the UK and elsewhere where qualification examinations can be taken.

Benefits of taking a SSEES language course

For learners

You'll benefit in the following ways:

  • Teaching is by experienced and highly qualified native speakers or teachers who have native fluency in the languages they speak
  • You'll learn using a combination of the best publications on the market as well as original materials created in-house (which are not available elsewhere)
  • You'll be granted reader access to the SSEES Library - the leading teaching and research collection in the UK for the study of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia. It contains a wide range of foreign-language newspapers
  • We regularly assess standards of teaching and student feedback to ensure we maintain our excellent reputation

For employers

Staff taking our language courses will become:

  • more confident at communicating with speakers of the local language
  • able to quickly adjust to the culture when travelling or working with local clients and colleagues
  • well informed on contemporary cultural and political issues and events
  • prepared for everyday life and socialisation, if relocated or seconded

Further information

Read more about SSEES Finnish language courses (all levels) on the SSEES website, including the topics, grammar, functions and cultural references covered.

Course team

Our language teachers

Our language teachers

The School of Slavonic and East European Studies' teachers are either native speakers, or have native fluency in the languages they teach.

Many of our staff teach on BA and MA courses at UCL and at other universities. They're highly qualified and extremely popular with their students, creating a friendly, stimulating environment for language learning.

Learner reviews

"The teacher's drive to ensure that lessons were comprehensive and engaging made this among the best language courses that I have ever taken."

"Learning about the culture as well as the language is just what I had hoped for."

"It's extremely inclusive and a well-paced balance between reading, writing, speaking, and listening."

"The interaction between students has been great and effectively encouraged by the spoken exercises we have worked on."

"A friendly environment where people aren't afraid to make mistakes."

Course information last modified: 9 Aug 2023, 16:26