Â鶹´«Ã½

Learning outcomes
After completing the course, you will be able to

- talk about your studies and work history  
- talk about past events 
- ask for help  
- use review phrases
- express your opinion  
- describe people, things, and events  
- write a formal email  
- write a short blog post 
- identify and understand the main points and some details from a news article 
- read short announcements.

Content
- Everyday vocabulary (descriptive words, housing, cottage, and vacations) as well as vocabulary related to education and working life  
- The simple past tense: asuin, en asunut 
- Word types: -in, -us, -as, -is (e.g., puhelin, kokous, asiakas, kaunis)

Teacher
Laura Tuominen

Study material
Terhi Tapaninen ja Kristiina Kuparinen: Oma Suomi 1 (Chapters 10-13). 2022 Edition. 

Please notice that the book is compulsory for completing the course.

Online learning environment for the course & Activating Aalto ID

MyCourses online learning environment is a tool for both students and teachers for communication and managing everyday course work. You need an Aalto User ID to log in to the course's MyCourses workspace and participate in teaching. You can activate your Aalto User ID the day after the registration and you should activate it no later than the day before the start of the course.Instructions for activating your Aalto User IDDigital workspace of the course:
MyCourses

More details on completing the course will be available at MyCourses closer to the start of the course.

Workload
Teaching in group 36 h
Independent work 57 h

Prerequisites
This course is intended for beginners. No previous knowledge in Finnish language is required.

CEFR level
Starting level: A1,Target Level: A2
More information on CEFR levels

Evaluation
Passing the course requires regular attendance, active participation in class and completion of the given homework. Written and oral examination. The weight of the different assignments in the final evaluation is specified at the start of the course.

Teaching time and location

20.8.-29.10.2026. Teaching hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 17-18.30. Please check the exact teaching dates in the table below.

Teaching hours are not recorded. Students are expected to be present at the lectures.
 

Exam details 
Written and oral examination. The written examinations will be held as a remote examination in MyCourses. Oral examination time will be given by the teacher. The teacher will give further information on examinations.

The written examination is on Tue 10.11.2026. No registration is required.
Re-examination will be held on Tue 8.12.2026. Please, register in Sisu on 1.12.2026 at the latest. 

Exam instructions at the Open University

Registration and course fee

Please note that the places are filled in order of registrations and the registration will close after the 35 spots have been filled.

Registration for Open University courses is done via the link below: 

Registration for this course starts on 8.6.2026 at 9.00  
Registration for this course ends on 13.8.2026 at 23.59

It is not possible to register before the registration period has started or after it has ended.

The course fee is paid upon registration for each course at a time and it is binding. Familiarize yourself with registration and payment rules as well as other guidelines for students:
Registration, payments and rules

This course is organized by the Aalto University Open University.

The number of participants is limited to 35. The course will be organized if there are at least 12 registered students.