Almost all, especially older swedish-speaking Finns, assume automatically that all Finnish speaking Finns can speak swedish fluently. Many just don't want to speak it. Period. Others didn't bother to learn it at all.
Same goes for Austrians and Germans as well as (escpecially) English and Scots. So, better just politely ask where somebody's coming from instead of just assuming anything and going with that.
You'll laugh, but that happens to almost every nation. I live in Italy, and here you won't almost find anything french🤣😂even the bignès and bidet😂🤣they're known to be italian! Almost everything that was invented in France, italians claim it's better in Italy. Also, italians will consider Shakespeare was secretly italian. I'm romanian, by the way: for romanians and hungarians it works the same, even worse...cause they're 2 million people not speaking the language of their own country😂🤣😂Finns not wanting to speak swedish, which from what I understood is not compulsory in the everyday life, is understandable....I guess it's commonsense for a foreigner to assume that people, at their home, want to be known as Finns and speak so😊
I have a good friend in Finland. He is a guy, he is handsome and really a caring friend. When I was suffering from depression and insecurity, he helped me a lot not to become suicidal. I thought we were on the way to start a kind of " more than friends" relationship, but he was so remote and sometimes dissapointing, because he showed little interest in me as a woman, though he said, he loved me and wanted me to go to Finland. It was really contradictory. I tried to learn as much as possible about the Finnish behaviour, thanks for the helpful videos. I remember I promised him that I would send him an award winning Hungarian wine ( i live in Hungary) and because of being busy, i could not fulfill my promise for months. ( i had to go to a special wine shop for it ). I could detect that he was thinking of me as a shallow person. Finally I just happened to have time, and could send it to him, and he was so thankful. I was suprised. He was really happy for getting a present. I think that was when our relationship changed a bit. He also sent me a little suprise present, it was really sweet. During the time my emotions went back to the friend zone, I just let it go, did not want to squeeze any more attention out of him, and funnily now he is the one who is writing faithfully every day, and planning to come to Hungary. And if I don't write or react to his messages in 2-3 days he is holding me responsible for not paying attention to him. Anyway make the long story short, Finnish guys are wonderful friends but they give you a hard time if you fall in love with them 😆😆😆😉😉
"Finns are like coconuts..." The most accurate way to describe a finn. It was so hard starting to be friends with my finnish friend but now I can say he's one of the best men I've ever gotten to meet. Now I'm 3 weeks away from that, invited to meet his family (live), lol! so this video came in the very precise moment for me not to go so silly with my unknowledge of the culture
I met a Finn who lived 18 years of her life in Germany. She was NOT your typical Finn. When talking you could NEVER ever get a word in edgewise. Also she had no respect for privacy whatsoever and showed up unannounced ALL of the time. But my all time favorite was when she saw neighbors I was not too keen on and IMMEDIATELY invited them ALL over to my deck to have beer. But she was a rarity by far. :-)
Aleksi Himself - Videos about Finland So true. She was also VERY tight with money. I paid for EVERYTHING for 3 whole weeks. :-) She also drove my car like a German race car driver without apologies. I explained to her that my car was my only way to get to work and that we have speed limits in the US - but she did not care - she then told me she was a German taxi driver in the mountains. My poor car was never so scared in its life. :-). My poor car still quakes with fear if I mention her name. :-)
Been talking to a Finn for over a year now and laughed at how we have covered all of these things. Although, talking about Sweden/Swedes isn't as bad as mentioning Russia/Russians with the Finn I know. Highly useful tips, as always Aleksi, keep up the awesome work on your videos.
Yeah I’m Mexican so these kinds of things happen all the time so I’m just so used to it but I guess in Finland manners are taken a lot more seriously lol
As a Mexican-American, I see many similiarities we share with the Finns. I'm learning so much about the country and its people and I find it fascinating. I have had a Finnish friend for almost a year now and he's such a funny, down to earth, compassionate person. He's one of the nicest guys I've ever known. I am proud to call him my friend. Thank you Aleksi for your channel! I am subscribed!
So appearing unannounced, being not invited, to your party that started 5 min ago, entering your home keeping shoes and hat on and lecturing your guests about their alcohol consumption while sitting on their laps is all in all a big No Go? ;-)
Oh my gosh, Alexi, thank you for message about personal space. I'm coming to spend 10 days in Finland and now I will control my tendency to get up close to people. I'm from the USA and here I guess it is a little different. I am studying Finnish constantly because I would love to make the acquaintance of locals. By the way, I am 80 years young!
You know in Italy empty promises are like a polite way of saying ok let's end this conversation and continue with our lives, great video (I'm half Italian half finnish so I get it)
Moi Aleksi! My greatgrandparents came to the U.S. from Finland, and I agree with all of these! I follow most of them myself! Great job, love all your videos! 👍👏🏻😊
I never knew about the hat thing - I'm a 3rd generation Finn in New England, and my father (who wanted nothing to do with Finnish culture, except to boast that the cold never bothered him - he's a 'Finski' lol) used to get ridiculously angry if you wore a hat in the house. Now I understand!! lol
What's up Finntastic Squad! I actually had a lot of fun doing this video. Some of the things mentioned a bit exaggerated/humorous such as the ones with Swedish stuff. Anyways let me know if I these were accurate to you! 💪🇫🇮
the swedish/finnish connection and mingling is really something very interesting as well as the medieval invasions of the foreigners. But good people can be friends anyway. Kiitos for this great video. i start to learn finnish...straight away.
Moi! I just discover your youtube's videos this week and they're very interesting for a Belgian guy like me who loves Finland! I went to Finland 2 years ago for 10 days and something that I really noticed is your last point, don't make empty promises. I noticed that when someone says something in Finland, he/she really say it because he/she think it, otherwise he/she don't say it, like people could do in other country just naturally without wanting to be rude. Really hope to be back in Finland soon! Thanks for the vids!
Ja sitten kun pääsee bussiin ja joka toinen paikka on otettu (eli käytännössä puolet paikosta vapaina), niin sitten seistään käsi tangossa siihen asti kunnes yksi rivi vapautuu (tai saavutaan määränpäähän).
I don't care if people are late (unless they make ME late), but I HATE to be late, if I am late my day is over, I will be thinking about it the whole day, and even for days, I'll be thinking on the "what Ifs" that could have make me not be late haha that's why I am never late...but who cares, I am not Finnish, the video is not about "what not to do to a random brazilian girl" lol
Parasta oli kun aikanaan lukion kemian kirjassa käytettiin suomalaisten istumistapaa julkisissa esimerkkinä selittämään miten elektronit asettuu atomin ytimen ympärille. Ensin yksi kullekin alueelle ja vasta sitten aletaan täyttää vieruspaikkoja :''D
Your angry faces are so.. i'd say.. cute. Especially when you zoom in your (:c)-face I crack up laughing. Very fun and informative video though. Liked it.
I'm Oscar from China . I saw the stereotype Finnish in my friend's post so i came to RU-vid to find some interesting stuff and came across you Aleksi. It's so good and comprehensive to get to know more about Finns, although have no idea when will i visit your country in the future. But your videos make me feel like that Finns are definitely introverts and polite person , just like our neighbor Japanese. I like Japanese and its Culture tbh, so i guess i would fall in love with Finn culture as well .
Pokephosgene Mä oon tota kans miettiny ja voisin sanoa että aikas paljon löytyy samankaltaisuuksia. Esim: ujous ja kaljan litkiminen. Puhtaus ja arvostaminen mm.
Jag gillar svenska också! Väldigt mycket, faktiskt. Jag började lära mig svenska på klass 6, och genast blev bäst på min hela klass på det. Detta år har jag lärt mig mer svenska än jag kunde ha någonsin förväntat. Jag låter redan ganska flytande på det och kan till exempel beställa en kaffe utan problem. Jag är upphetsad att visa min lärare hur bra jag är på svenska egentligen!
Really impressed with similarities with Japan. Here’s the list things are shared with Japan. 1. Show up without appointments Yes. Japanese people don’t like to be visited in unannounced. (Although they don’t express it) 2. Don’t be late 100% Yes. Being late lose your trust. 3. Remove shoes in house Yes. All houses have a space to remove shoes. 4. Remove hats in house Yes. Basically it’s impolite wearing hats in houses. 5. Alcohol Depends on situations. If your boss asked you drinking, you have no choice. 5. Can crush No. Japan people crash cans as it’s compressed. 6. Personal Space Yes. People in Japan try to keep personal space, although it’s sometimes difficult when you are on subway. 7. Queuing 100% Yes. Although people in Japan will not argue if you skipped a queue, they just stair at you. 8. Swedish No. 9. Praise Swedish Definitely no. 10. Don’t interrupt Yes. but isn’t this globally rude attitude? 11. Bragging Yes people in Japan don’t like to hear bragging. 12. Empty Promises Well, that’s only the thing I found different. They often have a conversation like “we should have a beer someday” at the end of the meeting or party, but it’s hardly happen. It’s more like greeting than making a promise, saying “We had such a good time as we could have beer someday”
I am from Brazil and spent a month in Finland back in 2008, during winter. My favourite town was Kolari, most people smiled at me all the time and would start random conversations, but it was hard to communicate with them in English. Some of them had been to Brazil, too. I think I would like to go there again. 🤗😃 Did you guys ever hear about Penedo, a finnish mountain town in the state of Rio de Janeiro?
I went to Suomi with most of my family for 8 summers as a child and teenager to meet distant relatives. What this video does not mention is that Finnish people do not react well to foreigners speaking loudly with others. It is not an argumentative tone but just in a more amplified voice that they may not be used to hearing. But it still takes them by surprise and makes them look angry or confused. If I behaved as my natural American self with my family and there happens to be Finnish strangers around they would stare at me and for very long in some personal experiences. As I noticed that more often it would make me feel awkward and eventually very annoyed after making eye contact back at them. I understand common Finns are not familiar enough with behaviors of people from other countries but not all foreigners mean to be rude and shock anyone. It is uncomfortable and provoking to have people look at you with a contemptible expression though. They really do value a quiet environment with minimal noise to tolerate enough. The country is generally pleasant and worth visiting to but the social experiences in public are not always fun. I’m an American born citizen that has Finnish genes and this is just my honest observation from there
Do I agree? I was born and grew up in Australia but my father was Finnish. Everything you mention comes naturally to me. I've often been considered socially awkward in Australia. I'm not weird, I'm just part Finnish. 😅 As the t shirt says; "I'm Finnish. I like coffee and, like, two people".
Oh Perkele I hope I don't piss off any Swedish people here, but I was in both Finland and Sweden in 2011 and I found that Finnish people were far more polite in general than Swedes. In Stockholm, the people were often kinda snobby, especially the shopkeepers in the old town. Swedish people were more like "of course you wanted to visit Stockholm, it's the greatest city". In Helsinki, Turku, Rovaniemi and other places we visited the locals were polite and kind to us and were happy that we decided to visit Suomi ;) they were more like "You chose to visit Finland? That's great how do you like it here?". I liked both countries but if I had to choose, I would choose Finland.
In love with beautiful Finland and its great culture! As someone who is rather silent and extremely disciplined in all of this, I would fit perfectly! Love from France.
About that first one: Showing up unannounced might be ok (if your phone is broken), but you do not walk in like that! Edit: About that second one: If you wish to avoid being late or the need for punctualy then try this (will not work on appointments and alike): Call ahead! Tell that you have departed from you home and tell approximate time it takes you to get there. This way you have rescheduled the time to "when i get there". Realy helpfull during the winter when everything takes longer and delays are to be expected. 3) Just imagine this: People inside will be stepping on whatever you brought in with your shoes. Nobody wants to get their socks wet from the snow you brought with you. 4) This and "3" are also very practical things. During the winter you must avoid getting sweaty as it will feel very cold when you get outside. Actualy this thing should have been "Do no wear outdoor clothes inside". Pants usualy excluded. 8) It's not just ques but rules in general. This country was built on presumption that rules apply to everyone. If you behave like rules do not apply to you then the guy next to you will take the same liberties and then on it is free for all and everyone for themself. And when that goes down you will learn the new meaning for "ruthless". And no, you are not likely to ever see this happen. People are going to put you back to your place long before this happen. 12. & 13. As mentioned in other videos: Be honest and direct but also accurate.
13 is a very good point. As a naturalized American, I am now kind of used to receiving empty promises of "meeting soon for dinner" or "being in touch regarding ____" and am guilty of making them too. That said, as a person of Indian origin, empty promises are something you do not make in India too.
Old comment to reply to, so I'm sorry for that. It's an empty promise that we'll meet up for coffee or dinner, but if a finn ever tells you to "call me if you need anything", then you better believe we will follow through. Broken tire on the highway at 5am? Even if we're all drunk, we'll find someone who can drive to either switch out your tire or just switch to your spare one. Your car breaks down 80km into the forest? Call your local finn, If we aren't in driving condition, we'll find someone who can drive. If your car is fucked we'll give you a ride; if you're just in the ditch we'll push you up. I don't think there is more loyal friends than finns.,
As a Swedish-Finn: I didn't know about the hats, I see many people wear hats everywhere. Some schools care about this though. I have friends that don't like to drink and those people are indeed considered lame people lmao (by the people who do drink). I also feel uneasy when I'm drunk and my friends aren't. I mean you don't really want them judging you from their sober perspective, do you? And SWEDISH. Swedish is SACRED to me. I've grown up speaking Swedish my whole life - and my Finnish is very weak. However my identity is not Swedish, it's Swedish-Finnish. NOT Swedish and NOT Finnish. This is why the Swedish-Finns fear their language losing its position as a national language (which has been discussed a few times). Don't dismiss us! We exist and we care. (If you're in Ostrobothnia, chances are higher to meet a Swedish-Finn. )
Thanks for the comment! I come from mellersta Österbotten and I've always liked Swedish as a language and used to see Finnish-Swedish speakers. It's just a bit sad some Finns dismiss Finnish-Swedish.
Back when Saku Koivu was captain of the Montreal Canadiens and the team was heading to playoffs, he was asked by the medias if he thought they had a chance to win the Stanley cup. Saku answered something along the lines of, "Let's see how the playoffs go first" and the medias started reporting that he didn't think they could win the cup at all. There were people who complained that he never spoke French to the medias despite living in Quebec for over a decade, but when people skew your words in a fairly simple language you've mastered, it's not really interesting to try your hand at something as difficult and complex as French in public.
Great Video, Aleski. Interrupting and bragging have always "turned my guts." Now, reflecting on my perceptions and values as one who was born and has grown up in the United States of America, I see perhaps that I have inherited Finnish traits from my family without being fully aware. Kitos, now it is time to go to Sauna.
I remember my drunken days (Im a finn whom is born in Sweden) I lived at home. One night I was so drunk and I pling the doorbell for my parents open the door. I was so drunk that I had problem to put the key on. I pling the door like about 20 min. When I luckly I put the key on the door, I went to sleep. I woke up and my mom n dad was so mad like "You're a grow man and you could open the door your self. But no, instead you rang the door bell middle at the night for 20 min!" Then she threw an shoe at me. 😂😂😂
Just today saw a woman wearing a hat in buffet in punavuori, 100% mother of finnish family)) Some stuff are pretty international, about interrupting, bragging, praise neighbor country, seats in bus. Nevertheless, your videos are awesome, thank you!
Thanks for the comment Yani! Wearing a hat while eating is just so rude in my opinion and it's true that the stuff in the video is not Finland exclusive. :)
this makes me so nervous... i am planning to move to finland and im from new york......... we are notoriously late, rude, and abrupt. yikes! i like to think that i am polite for a new yorker but i think i need to go thru boot camp lol!
Ah, that's interesting! Never been to Germany and don't know anyone who's lived there. I think that would drive me slightly insane, though, to be interrupted constantly! Love your videos :)
Wow! such a great video, i fine that some of the things you said here are also in common to the germans , for example taking out the shoes when a person coming home , don't skip the que or interrupting. of course it's absolutely not comparing! it's just seem to me familier :) and again, your videos are great :) !! Hyva Suomi! (i hope i wrote it write) i love Finland!
Throughout the video, I was thinking this sounds just like the UK, until you got to the last part. In the UK, we tend to make empty promises to be 'polite' in the moment. For example, we'll say, 'You must come round for dinner some time', but this is absolutely not an invitation for dinner, and we have no intention of inviting you. Now that I think about it, Finnish people are right, it's actually quite rude and messed up, but in the UK it's just part of our social interaction.
Finnish person here saying which things are true for me. 1 Agree, 2 Agree, 3 Agree, 4 Agree, 5 I personally don't like going to parties and dislike the taste of alcohol. 6 Yeah I always bring bottles and cans back to shops. 7 Yeah I hate people coming too close. 8 Yup I hate people skipping lines. 9 I was actually good in the language back in school, but, I never really used it so can't speak it properly anymore. 10 Yeah that's annoying. 11 Yeah interrupting me while I'm speaking gets me annoyed. 12 I get that though I only brag to people I'm close with or if they ask. 13 I'm not very social, but yeah promises are important.
As a Finn I agree with most of the points, but I also think that in the constantly internationalizing world many of these also depend a bit on the person and how much they have traveled/lived abroad for example. 4. Hats. Starting school in the early 90's I remember us kids getting told about this. I don't know about the situation nowadays in early education, but from my daily experience people don't seem to care anymore, because wearing a hat can also be part of a personal style and nowadays it's also an important value in itself, at least in cities, that people should be free to be themselves. Though of course there are always commentators and matters of taste. This is probably the first time since 90's I hear somebody express dislike towards wearing hats indoors, so I guess people just keep these opinions inside them? 5. I admire people, Finns and foreigners alike, who are pioneering in new ways to socialize and party without caring about Finnish social norms. Sober or with other substances.. like some highly energetic puer tea for example! ;) It seems that the post-millenial generation might even make new norms become mainstream. So #5 in my opinion is: do it, but depending on the company and circumstances. When at an alcohol party it's easier to put yourself on the same wavelength and to tolerate others when you drink a few :)
Thanks Tuomas for the comment! I was expecting some people to disagree with the hat stuff. My parents were so strict about that when I was a kid and I still guard that habit. :D Some of these are definitely a bit exaggerated, but I have been asked many times in parties, why I look so sober.
I'm 2nd generation Finn in the USA. I agree with all of them! My mother was born in 1914 and her first language was Finn (I was the last of 8 kids). unannounced is the worst! Friend's sauna we called it a Swede sauna cause the way it was built. Thank you this was alot of fun.
I'm Danish and I can definitely recognise these things regarding Danes too. Maybe exept the things about Sweden. Our grudge on Sweden is becoming so old that most Danish people like Sweden now.
Aleksi, those are very good tips. Your videos are great and I am learning a lot about Finland. I used to date a Finnish girl and I broke her heart. I regret it now. She was good to me. I really would like to visit. Is Finland a happy place? Can a retired person, from the USA, live in Finland with a residency visa? Only draw back to your videos is the lousy background music.
I'm Dutch, and we are known for being straight up and very direct. Finns, they like to get around things. For example, at my language training place, they already warned not to be offended if your boss sent an email to the school if there's something they didn't like instead of telling you in person. Luckily, that didn't happen to me there, but at my first Finnish job (like predicted, it was a cleaning job) it happened that I did too much work and sent my boss an email they'll not pay anything extra for it 😀 and the next day it was all moonshine like it never ever happened. Honestly, I don't like backstabbing people, but Finns are really good at giving that impression 😉 Specially if you are a highly educated person, they think because you are a cleaner, you are lower than others. I never saw a Finn cleaning. That's a foreigners job. After watching your previous video on finding a "good" job, Finns have the upper hand big time. It will take years to find your way here, and that is really unfair. Finns need skilled people, but companies are very reluctant to modernise to the needs on the market 🙄 🤔
In Ireland, the drinking thing is exactly the same, people are confused when you don't drink...for a year I fasted from alcohol and would always just say I was driving or didn't feel like it when offered. Most of the time I was actually driving so it wasn't too bad, but I understand that culture well! As for everything else...I feel like being a Finn is more than just my first name, as I can relate to so much of this!
Hi. Thank you for this video. Love it. It is my first time here in Tampere for related training in my work and now I already know those stuff that should not be doing here. Specially wearing bonnet inside. :-)
Aleksi obviously knows this but I just wanted to add that there are some areas in Finland where Swedish is the primary language. All of them are pretty small towns but if you somehow end up there, it would actually be polite to speak Swedish :P
I live in canada but I was always raised to take my shoes off when I enter a house because of my grandparents, so every time I enter a friends house or a strangers house they are really surprised that as immediately take off my shoes, and I never understood that until now...
I'm an American and some of us Americans and I happen to be one of those Americans. We like some of that stuff as well. If you say you're going to do something or you're going to be there at a certain time, honor your commitment and if you're eating yeah take your hat off at the dinner table but wearing your hat and door somewhere or someone's house. I don't see that being rude in my opinion, but overall in general most of that stuff I agree with and I'm the same one and sewing a lot of other Americans well some cuz I know people. I have friends that's the same way and family too
Great video, man, as all of your others are. Since Finns have more restraint, enjoy more silence, etc, and since we Americans can be boisterous, overly familiar, noisy, demanding, uninformed and (fill in the blanks), do Finns feel that many first-time visitors from the U.S.A. are frequently insufferable ? Do we wear out your fellow countrymens' patience ?
On countryside in Finland some people especially some old people come to visit without ringing doorbell and ex tempore. And my grandpa and grandma lock their door only at nights. They live in Central Ostrobothnia :>
Yes yes I agree most of those and they make so much sense. Hubby also agree that I am crazy about those things too. Also I can tell you one more thing : As a Finn I ALWAYS wan't to open windows whenever possible...Americans do NOT do that that often at all or never. I do not know one household where that is done ! Thanks for the great video Aleksi 👍😀💗🇫🇮
Great video as always! On a side note, have you ever thought of moving your finnish course on a platform like italki? it would be awesome to have you as a private tutor!
I reside in Honduras (Central America) which is the diametrical opposite of Finland, Finnish workers hate these countries. People here are notoriously late for everything, they show up unannounced, drinking is taboo even though everyone drinks, they love being in crowds and being all close together, (Hondurans have no concept of personal space) everyone uses cash, I could go on and on. It's basically Hell for a Finnish person.
Hehe I think this goes for all the Nordic countries honestly. Well, everyone but Sweden obviously since some of the points were about them. :P You could easily apply the same advice to Denmark at least, everything you said would be perfectly sound advice here as well. :)
Aleksi Himself - Videos about Finland For sure but I think I should get a bit more in depth especially since I want full blown approval of my fiancé's family. I won him over it's the future in laws that could be more difficult to convince.
Aha. I always wear a buff, drink zero alcohol, arrive last minute and talk a lot. To strangers as well, it's my job in tourism. I just started learning Finnish for fun but maybe I should choose a different language =/
