Finnish as a Second Language study guide
Finnish as a Second Language · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Finnish as a Second Language (often called Suomi toisena kielenä, or S2) describes assessment of Finnish proficiency for people who speak Finnish as an additional language rather than as a first language. Candidates typically include adult immigrants preparing for work, further study, or citizenship, as well as learners who need documented evidence of their level for employers or educational institutions. The Finnish as a Second Language study guide has 6 sections and about 2,494 words.
01Reading comprehension: finding the answer inside Finnish text
The reading section of the Finnish as a Second Language examination measures whether you can extract meaning from everyday Finnish texts: notices, forms, news items, opinion pieces, instructions, emails and official decisions. Tasks typically ask for the main idea, a specific detail, or an inference that is not stated word for word.
414 words, about 2 min02Listening comprehension: spoken Finnish at natural speed
The listening section tests comprehension of spoken Finnish: announcements, phone messages, service encounters, conversations and short monologues. Recordings are usually heard twice, and the questions are visible before or with the audio - use that time to predict what to listen for (a time, a price, a reason, a decision).
406 words, about 2 min03Writing: register, task fulfilment and cohesion
The writing section gives one or more tasks: a message, an email, a notice, an opinion, a complaint or a short report. Marks come from task fulfilment (did you cover every bullet?), register (does the text fit its reader?), cohesion and grammatical accuracy - roughly in that order.
396 words, about 2 min04Speaking: keeping the interaction alive and being understood
The speaking section is recorded and rated on communication, fluency, pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. Tasks are short: describe a situation, say what happened, give and justify an opinion, make a phone call, negotiate a solution.
395 words, about 2 min05Grammar and vocabulary in context: cases, rektio and gradation
Grammar and vocabulary are tested in context, not as isolated rules: gap-fill sentences, choosing between cases, choosing between near-synonyms and correcting forms inside a short text. You need enough control of the case system, verb conjugation, consonant gradation and word formation to read and write everyday Finnish.
424 words, about 2 min06Sociocultural knowledge and communication strategies
This domain checks whether you can act appropriately in Finnish-language situations, not only correctly: how to address people, how much small talk to make, how to write to an office, how to read directness and silence, and how to repair a misunderstanding. sinä is the default between adults, including at work and with strangers of similar age.
459 words, about 2 min