Ongelma johtuu siitä, että prosessi on liian hidas.
The problem is due to the process being too slow.
Breakdown of Ongelma johtuu siitä, että prosessi on liian hidas.
olla
to be
se
it / he / she (of a person) / that
ongelma
problem
että
that (conjunction)
hidas
slow
liian
too (excessively)
johtua
to result from
prosessi
process
Questions & Answers about Ongelma johtuu siitä, että prosessi on liian hidas.
Why do we need the word siitä before että?
The verb johtua (to stem from / to be due to) strongly requires the elative case (-sta/-stä). Because you cannot attach a case ending directly to an että clause, Finnish uses the pronoun se as a bridge. We put se into the elative case (siitä) to satisfy the verb's rule, and then explain what 'it' is by starting the subordinate clause with että.
How is johtuu related to the verb johtaa (to lead)?
Johtaa is an active verb meaning 'to lead' or 'to direct'. Johtua is an automative verb derived from it. Instead of someone actively leading something, johtua describes a situation 'leading out from' or 'stemming from' a source. This 'out from' logic makes it easy to remember why it always takes the elative case.
Could I just say Ongelma johtuu prosessin hitaudesta instead?
Yes, absolutely! Ongelma johtuu prosessin hitaudesta (The problem stems from the process's slowness) means the exact same thing. Using the siitä, että structure is a great alternative when you want to use a full sentence to describe the cause, rather than turning the cause into a noun.
Is the comma before että mandatory here?
Yes. In Finnish, you must use a comma to separate the main clause (Ongelma johtuu siitä) from a subordinate clause that begins with että.
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