Finnish is one of the world’s most difficult languages, and that could be the first and only reason I will never speak it fluently. Well, even grammar alone is rather discouraging and demotivating from further tries. But please consider the fact that my first language is Polish. I speak it fluently, and it sounds like a swarm of furious hornets flying through dry grass. The Polish language comprises mainly exceptions from understandable rules.
But the longer I study Finnish, the more clearly I see that I will never speak it fluently. Why? Because of these four reasons:
1. Finnish is like no other language. It isn’t even similar. It’s unique. You just have to accept the fact that you will have to start your education from a zero level. You will be convicted to arduous, perennial study, forcing your way through the maze of the Finnish language.
2. Lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas. Well, really are you kidding me? Reputedly it means “airplane jet turbine engine auxiliary mechanic non-commissioned officer student.” Maybe that is true, but it is also the embodiment of the second obstacle in learning Finnish. It likes joining the words in long, complicated chains of seemingly random letters. How to pronounce the word above, is that even possible? The only help and hope in this situation is the fact that such words are rather rarely used. In Polish the longest word is Konstantynopolitańczykowianeczka and it means the daughter of Constantinople’s civilian. Very useful, daily word, isn’t it?
3. No future at all. I don’t mean that we’re all going to die, but the fact is that they just don’t have a future tense. None. Forget about the simple future, the past future, the “will,” “going to” and all that stuff. You’ll have to change your thinking to the firm and confident way the Finns think. If I decide, I’ll do. So where’s the application of future tense?
4. It is said that you can say you speak Finnish fluently when you have no moment of hesitation before pronouncing “ä”. As far as I can tell, that seems a completely unreachable goal.
