"Saisinko..." vs. "Haluaisin..." use
Is there a 'normal' for when one uses saisinko vs. haluasin in a sentence like, "Saisinko/Haluaisin jotain juotavaa ?/."?

Thinking of English, "Can I have" it is a direct request, you want something right now. But using "I would like" you may be making a polite request, or you are stating a general desire. E.g.:
Can I have something to drink? -- you want something to drink, now
I would like something to drink. -- either you are saying you do want something now, or you are saying in general you could use a drink

Is there a similar implication in Finnish?

Thanks

Question

"Saisinko..." vs. "Haluaisin..." use
Is there a 'normal' for when one uses saisinko vs. haluasin in a sentence like, "Saisinko/Haluaisin jotain juotavaa ?/."?

Thinking of English, "Can I have" it is a direct request, you want something right now. But using "I would like" you may be making a polite request, or you are stating a general desire. E.g.:
Can I have something to drink? -- you want something to drink, now
I would like something to drink. -- either you are saying you do want something now, or you are saying in general you could use a drink

Is there a similar implication in Finnish?

Thanks

Answer

A non-native 2 cents here,  "saisin" sounds polite ( for example when you want to pour wine in a friend's glass, you can ask "Saako olla?" if you want to be polite),  in English  "Saisinko jotain juotavaa" would be like " May I have something to drink" . 
On the other hand, "Haluasin" is simply "I would want" which might not be polite but it depends on the context, when in doubt use the first.

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