Solveig remains ever-charming

Solveig starts out by asking Kauko what his name is. He replies that his name is Kauko, and asks for her name. She is then able to reply, in Finnish, that her name is Solveig.

In halting Finnish, Solveig then asks Kauko if he wants to ask her any questions, while repeatedly tripping over the word “kysymyksiä” (‘questions’). Kauko responds by asking Solveig how she’d learned to speak Finnish as well as she does (Solveig’s pronunciation isn’t great, but apparently isn’t awful, either). Clearly unable to actually understand his question, Solveig is able to sidestep it by simply shrugging and then answering with “Mielenkiintoinen kysymys” (‘Interesting question’) – a pretty smart strategy for creating small talk not consisting entirely of ‘yes/no’ questions.

Solveig ends by (very slowly) telling Kauko a joke in Finnish, which goes “Miten saat Ruotsalaisen nauramaan Uudenvuodenaattona? Kerrot sille vitsin Jouluaattona.” (‘How do you make a Swede laugh on New Year’s Eve? Tell them a joke on Christmas Eve.’).

In the studio, Atle admits to being fascinated by the woman Solveig had become during her attempt. In reference to a comment he’d made during her attempt at the ‘Move the mulled wine to the stove’ task, earlier in the episode, he calls her “Mrs Pepperpot in Finland”.

Despite Solveig’s embarrassment over her performance, Olli assures her that she had communicated well overall, and Kauko awards her first place.

(Written by Jenny R and edited by Karl Craven)

(Illustrations collected by Jenny R and adjusted by David Fuller)