Don’t be surprised if a restaurant employee doesn’t speak Finnish. Nowadays, it’s quite common in the Helsinki metropolitan area for staff to speak only English, not Finnish or Swedish. So a restaurant might not be the best place to practice your Finnish skills.
--Anniina
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Don’t assume a Finn can speak Swedish, even though Finland is a bilingual country. Some Finns dislike "pakkoruotsi" (mandatory Swedish studies). On the other hand, if you travel to a predominantly Swedish-speaking area, not everyone may speak Finnish very well.
--Susanna
