Learn Finnish: Alihankkijoiden lakosta johtuen meillä on pula osista. - Due to the subcontractors' strike, we have a shortage of parts.

The word johtuen acts as a postposition here meaning "due to," but it originates from the verb johtua (to result from or stem from). Because johtua always requires its complement to be in the elative case, the noun preceding johtuen must also take the -sta/-stä ending.

Could I use takia or vuoksi instead of johtuen in this sentence?

Yes, you could say alihankkijoiden lakon takia or lakon vuoksi. Both mean "because of the strike." However, johtuen sounds slightly more formal and analytical, much like "resulting from" or "owing to" in English. Remember that takia and vuoksi require the preceding noun to be in the genitive case (lakon), not the elative.

Why is "of parts" translated with the elative case osista instead of the partitive or genitive?

The noun pula (shortage) governs the elative case. In Finnish, when you have a lack or shortage of something, the thing you are lacking takes the -sta/-stä ending. Therefore, "shortage of parts" is strictly expressed as pula osista.

How do you break down the word alihankkijoiden?