How Long to Learn Finnish

It will take you approximately 2-3 years to pass the YKI test, hold a basic conversation in Finnish, order something in a café, or read a simple announcement.

Let's delve deeper. I have a separate article about the difficulty of learning Finnish, which explains what you will face and why Finnish language is considered to be at 3 out of 4 difficulty levels.

What You Need to Learn to Pass the YKI Test

To understand how long it will take you to learn Finnish, you need to understand what exactly you need to learn.

The levels of learning correspond to the European system for assessing the level of foreign language proficiency (Eurooppalainen viitekehys, EVK/ Common European Framework of Reference, CEFR):

Beginner - Perustaso, includes levels 1 and 2
Intermediate - Keskitaso, levels 3–4
Advanced - Ylin taso, levels 5–6

The tests are also of these 3 levels and you will specify them when filling out the YKI Testa form. We are interested in level B1, this level is required from you on the YKI test for citizenship or language confirmation for work.

How Many Words Do You Need to Know to Pass the YKI Test

At the B1 Intermediate level, you need to know 2,300 words. Where to get a list of these words? In the article "Materials for Preparing for the YKI Test", I provide a link to the list of these words, as well as an application for learning.

Also at the B1 level, you are expected to:

Understand extended speech and the main thoughts of television and radio broadcasts if the topic is relatively familiar.
Understand ordinary texts that do not require knowledge of the topic.
Speech at a normal pace and more complex texts can cause difficulties if the speech fragment is long and the topic is unfamiliar.
Ability to navigate in ordinary conversational situations and the ability to write simple unified texts on ordinary topics, although grammatical and lexical shortcomings hinder understanding.
Good command of everyday vocabulary and basic grammatical constructions.

Cambridge Research on How Long Each Language Level Will Take

Here will be a table with data.

Thus, Cambridge says that on average, learning Finnish to the B1 level will take you 562 hours. This is provided that at home you will study 3-4 times more than in lessons.

How Long Will It Take You to Learn the Language on Courses

I talk more about various courses in the article "Materials for Preparation". In Finland, there is only 1 main textbook, which is taught in all courses. This is Suomen mestari, there are 4 parts according to the level of complexity. Each textbook has about 9 chapters.

To pass the YKI test, you need to study at least 2 books. One course cycle lasts 3 months (this is 2 lessons per week for 2 hours). You will study 3 chapters in one cycle. There is a 1-month break after each cycle.

Therefore, if you go on courses, it will take you time to reach level B1: 3 course cycles * 3 months each cycle * 2 books + 6 months of breaks between cycles = 24 months minimum. And this is provided that at home you will work 3 times more than on courses.

In the article "How Difficult Is It to Learn Finnish", I explain why it takes so much. And why 24 months is a minimum! Because you will go through the plural only at the very end of the second book. Until then, you won't be able to say even the simplest phrases, like "I like people in Finland" or "I know many words in Finnish".