Breakdown of Vaikka sopimus on tiukka, se kannattaa.
olla
to be
se
it / he / she (of a person) / that
sopimus
contract
vaikka
although / even though
tiukka
strict / tight
kannattaa
to be profitable / to be worth it
Questions & Answers about Vaikka sopimus on tiukka, se kannattaa.
Does starting the sentence with vaikka change the word order?
No. Unlike some other languages, starting a clause with vaikka (even though/although) does not trigger a special word order. The subordinate clause keeps the standard subject-verb-adjective order: sopimus on tiukka.
I thought kannattaa meant 'to support'. Why does it mean 'is profitable' here?
The verb kannattaa is very versatile. While it does mean to support a team or a political candidate, it is also widely used to mean that something is worth doing, pays off, or is profitable. In this sentence, it means the contract is worth having.
Why is a comma required before se?
In Finnish, you must always separate a subordinate clause from a main clause with a comma. Because the first part of the sentence is a subordinate clause introduced by vaikka, the comma before the main clause (se kannattaa) is mandatory. This punctuation rule is much stricter than in English!
Tiukka usually means 'tight' (like clothes). Is it common to use it for a contract?
Yes! Just like in English where a deadline or a budget can be tight, tiukka is used metaphorically in Finnish. It can describe physical tightness, but also strict rules, tough situations, or uncompromising agreements like this sopimus.
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