The Council of Europe language policy recommends that all European citizens learn at least two foreign languages. If this is put to practice, the methods of endorsing learning and the required profi ciency need to be discussed. Would it suffice for most people just to understand the foreign language? A potentially useful construct is receptive multilingualism: the participants of a conversation each use their native language which the other person understands. Such an approach is not a novelty; it has been favoured in Scandinavian collaboration for a long time. If comprehension were the principle goal of language learning, a language closely related to one's fi rst language or other languages already known would be an economical choice for study. Th us for Finns to learn Estonian, and vice versa, is both useful, due to many contacts, and feasible, due to linguistic proximity. Th is would provide a practical alternative for both parties using a foreign language, usually English.