Have you ever learned Finnish vocabulary in clusters like this? The way it works is that you find a very common word like tieto and then you collect a list of other words that are derived from it or somehow sound similar. In this video, I’ll show you an example of how you can take the Finnish word tieto and make a list of words that are somehow related to it.
And how can you make your own lists? Look up a word in a dictionary and see what’s before and after it in the alphabetical list. Finnish dictionary is a gold mine for that kind of thing!
Here are the example sentences from the video:
- tietää = to know
Minä tiedän, mitä haluan. = I know what I want. - tietoisuus = awareness
Kielitietoisuus on tärkeä osa opetusta. = Language awareness is an important part of teaching. - tiede = science
Eikö tiede olekin ihmeellistä? = Isn’t science amazing? - tieteellinen = scientific
Tästä on paljon tieteellistä tutkimusta. = There’s a lot of scientific research on this. - tieteenala = a branch of science
Mikä tieteenala kiinnostaa sinua eniten? = Which branch of science interests you the most? - tietokirja = a non-fiction book
Kirjahyllyni on täynnä tietokirjoja. = My bookshelf is full of non-fiction books. - tietokone = a computer
Oletko kokeillut käynnistää tietokonetta uudelleen? = Have you tried restarting the computer? - tiedottaa = to inform
Firman johto tiedottaa työntekijöille muutoksista myöhemmin tänään. = The company management will inform the employees about the changes later today.
How to get the most out of your Finnish vocabulary list
Now you have a great start to a vocabulary list around the Finnish word tieto. Keep adding to it, and you’ll notice that the more you practice the better you get at making vocabulary lists!
Here are some of my favourite tips for creating example sentences with your Finnish vocabulary list:
- Turn the example sentence in to a question.
- Make a negative sentence.
- Use different verb tenses.
- Print off a list of it all and stick it on your wall where you can see it!
- Make the word cluster your screensaver or wallpaper on your phone or laptop.
These tips will force you to use the Finnish words in different ways and help you remember the words better.