Word
Mikäli sairaus alkoi, kun sopimus ei ollut voimassa, oikeus raukeaa.
Meaning
In the event that the illness began when the contract was not valid, the right becomes void.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Mikäli sairaus alkoi, kun sopimus ei ollut voimassa, oikeus raukeaa.
olla
to be
ei
no / not (en, et, ei, emme, ette, eivät)
alkaa
to start
kun
when (conjunction)
Questions & Answers about Mikäli sairaus alkoi, kun sopimus ei ollut voimassa, oikeus raukeaa.
How is mikäli different from jos in this sentence?
Mikäli means 'if' or 'in the event that', just like jos, but it is much more formal. You will mostly see it in legal texts, terms of service, and official rules, which perfectly fits this sentence about contracts and rights.
Can I use the conditional mood with mikäli here, like mikäli sairaus alkaisi?
You could, but it changes the meaning. Because alkoi is in the past tense (imperfect), the sentence states a rule about an illness that already started in the past. If you used the conditional alkaisi, it would refer to a hypothetical illness starting in the future.
Why is the word for 'valid' expressed as voimassa?
Voimassa is literally the inessive case ('in') of the word voima, meaning 'power' or 'force'. In Finnish, saying something is 'in power' is the standard way to express that a contract, law, or ticket is currently valid or in effect.
Where does the verb raukeaa come from?
It is the third-person singular form of the verb raueta, meaning to expire, lapse, or become void. This is a Type 6 verb, which means it undergoes consonant gradation from a weak grade (no consonant in raueta) to a strong grade (the k in raukeaa).