Studying
The age range of students at Oulu Upper Secondary School for Adults is wide - we are a school for young people as well as adults of all ages. At our school, you can complete various kinds of studies. We offer, for example, basic education and upper secondary studies, and you can also prepare for and participate in the National Certificates of Language Proficiency YKI tests in Finnish.
We also offer Finnish as a second language courses. You can find more information below about courses for beginner and elementary levels.
More information about our other courses and Finnish courses for intermediate level and above on our Finnish website.
More information about studying Finnish at our school
Teacher responsible for: Finnish as a second language and literature
Finnish courses at Oulu Upper Secondary School for Adults (Beginner, Intermediate and Upper-intermediate courses)
Beginner and Intermediate Finnish Language Courses
Please sign in by filling out the form, so we know that you are coming
Beginner courses are suitable for you if you have not studied Finnish before but can read and write.
- Location: Kastelli Community Center, Sairaalanrinne 5 – classrooms 42076 / 41006
- Teachers: Ulla Karvonen / Inka Ukonmaanaho
- Language level: A1–A2
- Fees: Free of charge; students must purchase their own textbook or loan it from library
- Courses progress in numerical order. Start with Finnish 1, then Finnish 2, and so on.
- Topics covered: introducing yourself and others, food and shopping, housing, family, health and well-being, transportation, environment, work and leisure, society
- Grammar topics include, for example:
Finnish verb types, basics of objects and the partitive case, consonant gradation (KPT), present and past tenses (present and imperfect), passive (present).
Period 1: 17 Aug – 5 Oct 2026
Finnish 1 On Mondays & Wednesdays at 5.00–6:20 pm
- Textbook: No niin! 1, chapters 1–3
- Teacher: Ulla Karvonen
Finnish 3 On Mondays & Wednesdays at 6.40–8:00 pm
- Textbook: Alku 1
- Teacher: Inka Ukonmaanaho
- A slow-paced beginner course continuing from book’s chapter 3
- Students should already know the alphabet, numbers, telling the time, months, seasons, vowel harmony, common question words, and basic verb conjugation
- Possible to continue courses 3–7 in the same group until May 2027
Finnish 5 On Tuesdays & Thursdays at 6.40–8.00 pm
- Textbook: Suomen mestari 1 (continuation from spring)
- Teacher: Inka Ukonmaanaho
- Possible to continue courses 5–9 in the same group until May 2027
Finnish 7 (intermediate group) On Tuesdays & Thursdays at 5.00–6.20 pm
- Textbook: Suomen mestari 2, chapter 1
- Fast-paced A2-level course; suitable for students with basic Finnish and prior language-learning experience
Possible to continue courses 7–11 in the same group until May 2027
Period 2: 6 Oct – 1 Dec 2026
Finnish 2 On Mondays & Wednesdays at 5.00–6.20 pm
- No niin! 1, chapters 4–6
- Teacher: Ulla Karvonen
Finnish 4 On Mondays & Wednesdays at 6.40–8.00 pm
- Alku 1, chapter 4
- Teacher: Inka Ukonmaanaho
Finnish 6 On Mondays & Wednesdays at 5.00–6.20 pm
- Suomen mestari 1
- Teacher: Inka Ukonmaanaho
Finnish 8 (intermediate group) On Tuesdays & Thursdays at 5.00–6:20 pm
- Suomen mestari 2, chapters 2–3
- Teacher: Inka Ukonmaanaho
Period 3: 2 Dec 2026 – 8 Feb 2027
Finnish 1 On Tuesdays & Thursdays at 5.00–6.20 pm
- Teacher and textbook to be announced
Finnish 3 On Mondays & Wednesdays at 5.00–6.20 pm
- No niin! 1, chapters 7–9
- Teacher: Ulla Karvonen
Finnish 5 On Mondays & Wednesdays at 6.40–8.00 pm
- Alku 1, chapter 5
- Teacher: Inka Ukonmaanaho
Finnish 7 On Mondays & Wednesdays at 5.00–6.20 pm
- Suomen mestari 1
- Teacher: Inka Ukonmaanaho
Finnish 9 (intermediate group) On Tuesdays & Thursdays at 5.00–6.20 pm
- Suomen mestari 2, chapters 4–5
- Teacher: Inka Ukonmaanaho
Period 4: 9 Feb – 8 Apr 2027
Finnish 2 On Tuesdays & Thursdays at 5.00–6.20 pm
- Teacher and textbook to be announced
Finnish 4 On Mondays & Wednesdays at 5.00–6.20 pm
- No niin! 1, chapters 10–12
- Teacher: Ulla Karvonen
Finnish 6 On Mondays & Wednesdays at 6.40–8.00 pm
- Alku 1, chapter 6
- Teacher: Inka Ukonmaanaho
Finnish 8 On Mondays & Wednesdays at 5.00–6.20 pm
- Suomen mestari 1
- Teacher: Inka Ukonmaanaho
Finnish 10 (intermediate group) On Tuesdays & Thursdays at 5.00–6.20 pm
- Suomen mestari 2, chapter 6
Teacher: Inka Ukonmaanaho
Period 5: 12 Apr – 1 Jun 2027
Finnish 3 On Tuesdays & Thursdays at 5.00–6.20 pm
- Teacher and textbook to be announced
Finnish 7 On Mondays & Wednesdays at 6.40–8.00 pm
- Alku 1, chapter 7
- Teacher: Inka Ukonmaanaho
Finnish 9 On Mondays & Wednesdays at 5.00–6.20 pm
- Suomen mestari 1
- Teacher: Inka Ukonmaanaho
Finnish 11 (intermediate group) On Tuesdays & Thursdays at 5.00–6.20 pm
- Suomen mestari 2, chapters 7–8
- Teacher: Inka Ukonmaanaho
Upper-intermediate courses
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Goal is to reach an independent user level.
- Location: Kastelli Community Center, Sairaalanrinne 5 – classroom 42076
- Teacher: Ulla Karvonen
- Level: A2–B1
- Textbook: No niin! 2
- Fees: Free of charge; students must purchase their own textbook or loan it from library
- Courses progress in numerical order (Upper-intermediate Finnish 1 → 2 → etc.).
- Topics include: work and job search, healthcare, family life, housing, hobbies, media use, Finnish nature, society, and history.
Courses include communication practice. - Grammar topics include: plural partitive and genitive, further object structures, perfect and pluperfect tenses, sentence types, passive in past and perfect.
- Topics include: work and job search, healthcare, family life, housing, hobbies, media use, Finnish nature, society, and history.
Schedule
- Period 1: Upper-intermediate Finnish 1
- Period 2: Upper-intermediate Finnish 2
- Period 3: Upper-intermediate Finnish 3
- Period 4: Upper-intermediate Finnish 4
- Period 5: Upper-intermediate Finnish 5
All courses on Mondays & Wednesdays at 6:30–7:50