Kärpäsenä Katossa

The Sirkka Series is an ongoing Finnish listening series that follows the life of Sirkka, a fictional character from Lappeenranta, Finland who moved to Riga, Latvia at the age of nineteen and never quite left. What was originally meant to be a one-year stay abroad turned into a long-term life built in Latvia. Now in her thirties, Sirkka works as a dentist and runs a small side business. Each episode focuses on a specific theme — such as background, work, hobbies, travel, relationships, or everyday situations — while gradually building familiarity with Sirkka’s personality and life story.

We release new episodes regularly, so be sure to check back for updates. As the series expands, we will provide a recommended roadmap outlining an ideal order of study — especially for learners who wish to follow the narrative progression in a structured way. For now, the episodes can be studied independently. However, we recommend starting with the episode in which Sirkka introduces herself and talks about her background and life, as it provides helpful context for later episodes.

Why study with Sirkka? Every recording features real human speech — no AI voices. We provide full verbatim transcripts that capture the natural rhythm, pauses, and fillers of spoken Finnish without ”cleaning up” or simplifying the language. As Sirkka speaks with Eastern Finnish dialectal features, learners are supported with detailed explanations and comparisons to both standard spoken and written Finnish to help navigate the nuances of regional speech. While Sirkka speaks with Eastern Finnish dialectal features, the skills you develop here are universal. Mastering these nuances acts as a bridge to understanding authentic spoken Finnish across the entire country.

Each package includes an audio recording, a full transcript, a Finnish-English vocabulary list, vocabulary explanations, and a complete answer key. The series is primarily aimed at learners at upper A2 and B1 level. However, some of the listening packages in the series are for other levels as well. Therefore, for convenience, you can see the aimed levels for listening packages by clicking the following tags: A2, B1, B2, C1. Dialectal features from Eastern Finnish are present, and learners are supported with detailed explanations and comparisons to standard spoken and written Finnish. Once you purchase a package, the PDFs are available for instant download — there’s no waiting around, and everything is accessible immediately online.

Please note that Sirkka is a scripted character created for educational and storytelling purposes. The episodes do not represent a real person or reflect the personal life or experiences of any individual. Any similarities to actual persons or events are purely coincidental. The character is voiced and portrayed by voice actor Riina Jokela.

Below, you’ll find all currently released Sirkka episodes. If you have any questions before buying — for example about the level or content — feel free to reach out at info@karpasenakatossa.com.

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