---
title: "The work coffee room, where the conversation is not in English"
type: "situation"
situation: "The work coffee room"
cluster: "social"
url: "https://finnishirl.com/situations/kahvihuone"
canonical: "https://finnishirl.com/situations/kahvihuone"
author: "Andrey the Nomad"
site: "Finnish IRL"
license: "https://finnishirl.com/terms#ip"
---

# The work coffee room, where the conversation is not in English

URL: https://finnishirl.com/situations/kahvihuone

Situation: The work coffee room.

Your meetings are in English. The ten minutes around the coffee machine are not, and that is where the team actually is.

## The short version
- Kahville - "to coffee" - is an invitation, and accepting it is the single highest-value thing you can do socially at a Finnish workplace.
- No niin opens and closes the break. When somebody says it and stands up, the break is over.
- You do not have to talk. Sitting with the group in silence is genuinely normal and is not read as being unfriendly.

## Getting into it
- Kahville? - Coffee?. When: the whole invitation, one word. Safe for anyone to say.
- Mennään. (written: Menemme.) - Let's go.. When: accepting anything. Safe for anyone to say.
- Mä tuun kohta. (written: Minä tulen kohta.) - I'll come in a minute.. When: when you need to finish something. Casual - fine once you know people.
- Onks kahvia? (written: Onko kahvia?) - Is there coffee?. When: the pot is communal. Safe for anyone to say.

## The actual small talk
- Mitä kuuluu? - How are you?. When: a real question here, not a greeting. Safe for anyone to say.
- Ei hassumpaa. - Not bad.. When: the standard answer. Safe for anyone to say.
- Ihan hyvää. - Pretty good.. When: the other standard answer. Safe for anyone to say.
- Kiireistä. - Busy.. When: always available, always true. Safe for anyone to say.
- No niin. - Right then.. When: opens the break and ends it. Safe for anyone to say.

## When you are lost
- Anteeks, mitä? - Sorry, what?. When: the one to have ready. Safe for anyone to say.
- Voitko sanoa uudestaan? - Can you say that again?. When: asking for a repeat. Safe for anyone to say.
- En ihan ymmärtänyt. - I didn't quite catch that.. When: softer than asking for a repeat. Safe for anyone to say.
- Puhutko vähän hitaammin? - Could you speak a bit more slowly?. When: works, and people do. Safe for anyone to say.

## The move that gives you away
Don't: Do not apologise for your Finnish before every sentence, and do not switch the table to English so you can take part.
Do: Say the Finnish you have, let the rest go past, and ask about the one thing you actually want to know.
Why: Finns will switch to English the second they sense you are struggling, and they mean it kindly. Every apology is an invitation to switch, and once the table is in English it does not switch back.

## Same thing, three registers
- Written: Anteeksi, en valitettavasti ymmärtänyt.
- Spoken: Anteeks, mitä?
- Casual: Häh?
Häh is fine among people you know and abrupt with anyone you do not. The middle one is right almost always.

## The invitation
Kollega: Kahville? - Coffee?
Sä: Joo, mennään. - Yeah, let's go.
Kollega: Mitä kuuluu? - How are you?
Sä: Ei hassumpaa. Vähän kiireistä. Entä sulle? - Not bad. A bit busy. And you?
Kollega: Sama juttu. - Same here.

## Losing the thread and getting it back
Kollega: ...ja sit se sano et se deadline siirtyy ens viikolle. - ...and then they said the deadline moves to next week.
Sä: Anteeks, mitä siirtyy? - Sorry, what moves?
Kollega: Se deadline. Ens viikkoon. - The deadline. To next week.
Sä: Aa, okei. Kiitos. - Ah, okay. Thanks.

## Questions people ask
**Do I have to talk in a Finnish coffee break?** No, and that is not a polite fiction. Sitting with the group without contributing is genuinely normal and is not read as coldness. Being there is most of the point.

**Why do my colleagues switch to English when I try Finnish?** Because they are being helpful, and because Finns are often self-conscious about making a foreigner struggle. Asking them directly to keep going in Finnish works - they will, they just need permission.

**What does kahville mean?** Literally "to coffee", in the allative case. As an invitation it is the entire sentence, and accepting is worth more socially than anything you will say once you get there.

**How much coffee is normal at a Finnish workplace?** Finland drinks more coffee per head than any other country and the breaks are contractual in many workplaces. Two a day is standard, and declining every one of them is noticed.