Welcome to study Finnish

Study Finnish with a native Finnish teacher. Study online anywhere you want, or come to learn and see on the spot in Helsinki
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I’m a qualified Finnish Language Teacher and a native Finn. I have over 20 years of experience in teaching Finnish. I am a very passionate teacher, with a lot of patience.
Taru Eloranta
Finnish language teacher

Finnish Course Progression

The Finnish courses with Teacher Taru are carefully designed to create a structured learning path. By following my guidance, you will progress step by step, making clear progress at each step toward greater fluency. Each course follows the previous one, continuing at the same time slot. There are short breaks of a few weeks between each course.

You’re welcome to join the path at any point, depending on your current level. Below is an overview of the courses I offer, arranged by proficiency levels:

Absolute Beginners: Getting Started

  • Level: Complete beginners (starting from zero)
  • Duration: 5 lessons, each 90 minutes + homework
  • Textbook: None required.

Beginner Level: Moving On

  • Level: Suitable for learners familiar with basic Finnish
  • Duration: 9 lessons, each 90 minutes + homework
  • Textbook: None required.

Finnish from A1.3: Parts 1, 2, and 3

  • Level: A1.3 (Elementary level)
  • Duration: each part 10 x 60 minutes + homework
  • Textbook: Uudistettu Oma Suomi 1 (not included in the price)
    These three parts cover all essentials of level A1.3. You will get a strong foundation in both speaking and understanding Finnish.

Finnish A2: Advanced Beginner

  • Level: A2 (also YKI 2 level)
  • Duration: 10 x 60 minutes + homework
  • Textbook: Uudistettu Oma Suomi 1 (required). This course covers the last three chapters of Uudistettu Oma Suomi 1
    This course marks the beginning of the advanced beginner level, helping you further develop your language skills.

Strong A2 Grammar

  • Level: Advanced beginner
  • Duration: 10 x 60 minutes + homework
  • Textbook: None required
    Focused entirely on grammar, with plenty of practical exercises. Instruction is partly in English to help you grasp the structures more easily, but you will practice speaking Finnish as well.

Puhu Paremmin: Discussion Course

  • Level: Suitable for A2 learners and above
  • Duration: 10 x 60 minutes, join as many times as you like
  • Textbook: None required
  • Homework: Minimal
    This is a highly interactive course aimed at improving your spoken Finnish through constant practice. You can join as many times as you need—keep coming until you feel confident speaking Finnish!

Finnish on level B (YKI 3 and YKI 4)

At level B, you can use Finnish in real-life situations. Long, regular courses are no longer necessary, but I offer shorter courses focusing on detailed grammar or to enhance speaking. Level B courses help you perfect your skills.

  • Textbook: None required

Tervetuloa oppimaan suomea kanssani! (Welcome to learn Finnish with me!)

Find all courses
Sofia N.Sofia N.1737801101 ★★★★★ It is easy to start speaking finnish with Taru becase she is not judgemental at all. She is open, and interested both in you and in your learning. She listens to your specific needs.Natanael R.Natanael R.1733131769 ★★★★★ Taru has been a perfect finnish teacher for me. Im impressed by how patient she is and by her ever new ideas how to make our lessons interesting. Very happy i found such an encouraging teacher!Julia D.Julia D.1732544521 ★★★★★ Fantastic teacher and very flexible.She is very receptive to my variable capacities, so the content of the lessons depends on the mood and the level of tiredness of the student, excellent particularly for neurodivergent children and adults. Even if I am having a very low energy day, I know I will take home a little bit of knowledge, even if it is just a new word. Alternatively, on high-energy days we can cover tons of grammar and vocabulary :)She draws from different learning material and methods, so it doesn't get repetitive and tedious.I work full time and Taru is able to adapt the quantity of homework from one lesson to the next, so my learning never gets in the way of daily life.The progress I have made with her is enormous, thanks to her patience and clear, patient explanations. She is also very encouraging and down-to-earth.Taru gives great insight into the Finnish culture as well, I always look forward to my lessons.Highly, highly recommend!Antonio R.Antonio R.1724334630 ★★★★★ I attended several of Taru’s classes.The course "Grammar B-level" was incredibly engaging and took us to a whole new level of understanding.The homework assignments between classes were particularly useful, as they helped us stay immersed in the Finnish language and culture.Kiitos Taru.Volha RVolha R1717398255 ★★★★★ Olen osallistunut kurssille ”Sano se suomeksi” toukokuussa. Minusta Taru Eloranta on taitava opettaja, joka tietää, miten voi rohkaista opiskelijoita puhumaan ja kehittämään kielitaitojansa. Oli mukavaa, että ryhmä oli aika pieni ja kaikilla oli mahdollisuus kommunikoida sekä opettajan että muiden opiskelijoiden kanssa. Taru antoi meille mielenkiintoisia keskusteluaiheita ja näytti meille pari hyödyllistä verkko sivuja, joita me voisimme käyttää itse tulevaisuudessa. Minusta se oli tosi hyvä kielikurssi, yksilöity ja tehokas.Paljon kiitoksia kurssista, Taru!Kevin P.Kevin P.1704353304 ★★★★★ Taru is a great teacher who uses a range of techniques to keep things interactive in an online setting. This course really gets the students talking and using their Finnish and has helped me a lot!Matthew C.Matthew C.1704267834 ★★★★★ I can highly recommend Taru. The lessons are tailored to my learning needs and style.azin F.azin F.1703669613 ★★★★★ Suomen kielen taitoni parani paljon. Nyt voin lukea lyhyitä romaaneja helpposti!Nikki S.Nikki S.1703249010 ★★★★★ I cannot recommend Opettaja Taru enough. During my lessons with her, she is always encouraging, friendly and informative. She teaches me the essentials of Finnish grammar and provides many examples that help me to understand and apply it to practical use in the language. Sometimes we play educational games together that make the learning experience more fun. No matter what level you’re currently at in Finnish, each lesson is tailored to fit your needs. Sometimes I find myself speaking Finnish with her, without even realizing I’m doing it, because she knows exactly what types of things to say to get the most knowledge out of you. She’s a fantastic teacher and I very much look forward to each one on one lesson I have with her.Marilize B.Marilize B.1696734331 ★★★★★ This course was definitely worth the money. I am introverted and even so, found it easygoing and not stressful at all. Taru set a pace that suited everyone and was patient enough to repeat information if needed.Music E.Music E.1695913811 ★★★★★ she is good at teaching in 5 weeks you can speak suomea. she is a good at teaching every detail. Thank youJohannes F. R.Johannes F. R.1682366612 ★★★★★ Taru is a wonderful teacher! The courses are well structured and the pace is right for someone with a busy work schedule. She also always took the time to react to individual questions. I can fully recommend her courses. 😊Dániel L.Dániel L.1681978221 ★★★★★ Great learning experience! While it is not an intensive course, the level and the speed of the lessons is just correct when I have time to learn only after workdays.I recommend Taru if you want a good Finnish learning experience!Leena N.Leena N.1676564388 ★★★★★ Thanks Taru, for a great class. Classes are full of opportunities to speak in small groups and practice pronunciation while learning new elements of grammar and vocabulary. I found the pace of the course was good for my level and the homework was helpful. Overall a great experience!Evule B.Evule B.1672223270 ★★★★★ Hei! Opettaja Taru on tosi hyvä. Kurssi oli hienosti!!!Tania MTania M1652994463 ★★★★★ I liked very much my first Finnish course for beginners with Taru. She is very enthusiastic and supportive. The course has the right amount of everything: content shared, interaction with others and all together, and homework. You can keep the pace without feeling too overwhelmed and still seeing your progress. Kiitos, opettaja!Solène D.Solène D.1648149092 ★★★★★ Taru is a great Finnish teacher ! Her classes are well-prepared, dynamic and varied. I like that we learn very relevant words and expressions, that we can hear and use in daily life. Also, she gives a great insight to the Finnish culture through videos, songs, etc.Rupesh G.Rupesh G.1648043001 ★★★★★ Very good FinEnglish teacher, specially for beginners. Focuses more on practical learning than text book learning. Found helpful to kick-start learning Finnish. Minä puhun vähän suomea 🙂 Kiitos Taru.Stéphane L.Stéphane L.1647161950 ★★★★☆ Chelia C.Chelia C.1634642343 ★★★★★ I appreciate that Taru speak English when she explained, since I am a beginner.BenBen1634546321 ★★★★★ Taru is a friendly and knowledgeable teacher. She keeps the classes fun and casual while still being professional, worth the money for a course.Andrea M.Andrea M.1634546112 ★★★★★ Donna R.Donna R.1634538087 ★★★★★ A great course! Taru is very lovely and communicates very well to non-native speakers with a very sympathetic and learned approach. She was able to combine more simple learning processes with more complex ones, so that I never experienced any kind of overload, which one can often do as a novice. The regular homework was similarly planned, and was always engaging and made me want to practice further. The online platform works very well. Perhaps because I've only ever learned a language before in-situ, I was surprised at how smoothly it worked online, and it was great how Taru used various interactive language videos online (which of course we could revisit in our own time).. It was really nice also to meet other non-native Finnish speakers from many different countries and to go through the experience with them. I've just signed up for the second course, which I'm looking forward to very much. Kiitos Taru!js_loader