In Finnish, the phrase “kärpäsenä katossa” literally means “as a fly on the ceiling.” It describes someone quietly observing from above — unnoticed, listening to conversations as they naturally unfold. That idea lies at the heart of our project.
Kärpäsenä Katossa began in late 2024, when Riina Jokela noticed how few genuinely authentic listening materials were available for Finnish learners. Many existing recordings felt scripted or artificial, and didn’t reflect how Finnish is actually spoken in everyday life. Scripted materials are not a problem in themselves — we do create them as well in addition to our spontaneous audios — but what was missing were recordings that felt natural, interesting, and easy to follow, with proper transcripts and supporting materials to help learners truly understand what they hear. To make her lessons more engaging, Riina asked a fellow Finnish speaker, Satu, to help record a few real, unscripted conversations for classroom use. The original idea was simple: to create occasional listening exercises based on everyday discussions. But the recordings turned out to be so natural, lively and relatable that a new idea quickly began to take shape. That’s how Kärpäsenä Katossa was born.
Today, the project has grown into a space for authentic Finnish audio and learning materials that bring the language to life. Each audio package includes a conversation on a specific topic, a full verbatim transcript, a vocabulary list, and exercises designed to support listening comprehension and cultural understanding. Using full verbatim transcripts — i.e. including hesitations, repetitions, and filler words — helps learners understand how Finnish is actually spoken in real life. It also gives learners a clear picture of rhythm, intonation, and natural speech patterns that are often lost in edited or “cleaned-up” scripts.
A great example of the kind of audio packages we create is the Let’s Discuss: Celebrations & Special Occasions -series, where Riina and Satu talk about Finnish traditions such as Midsummer, Christmas, and Independence Day — sharing memories, laughter and everyday perspectives in natural spoken Finnish.
We’re also excited to include the Sirkka Series, a new set of recordings following the daily life of Sirkka, a fictional character from Lappeenranta, Finland who moved to Riga, Latvia at the age of nineteen and never quite left. In the series, Sirkka works as a dentist in Riga and runs a small side business. Each episode focuses on a specific theme — such as background, work, hobbies, travel, relationship, or everyday situations. The series features a monologue using typical Eastern Finnish speech patterns, and the series is primarily aimed at learners at upper A2 and B1 level. We recommend starting with the episode in which Sirkka introduces herself and talks about her background and life.
Alongside our audio materials, we also offer personalised Finnish tutoring for learners who would like more individual guidance.
The Kärpäsenä Katossa website was officially launched in January 2026, marking a new chapter for this growing collection of Finnish learning materials. If you’d like to stay updated about new recordings, materials and future ideas, you’re welcome to subscribe to our newsletter below.
