Breakdown of Johto irtosi, joten kahvinkeitin ei toiminut.
joten
so
toimia
to work
ei
not
kahvinkeitin
the coffee maker
johto
the cable
irtoaa
to come loose
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Questions & Answers about Johto irtosi, joten kahvinkeitin ei toiminut.
What does johto mean in this sentence?
johto is the nominative singular of the noun meaning “cord” or “wire,” here referring to the power cord of the coffee maker.
Why is johto in the nominative case?
Because it functions as the subject of the finite verb irtosi. In Finnish, subjects of finite verbs normally take the nominative case.
What is the verb irtosi and what does it mean here?
irtosi is the 3rd person singular past tense form of irrota, used intransitively here to mean “came loose” or “detached by itself.”
Why is there no object in the clause johto irtosi?
Because irtosi is intransitive in this usage. The cord isn’t acting on another object; it itself became detached.
What does joten mean and can it be replaced by another word?
joten is a coordinating conjunction meaning “so” or “therefore.” In spoken Finnish you might hear niin, but joten is more formal and common in writing.
Is the comma before joten necessary?
In standard written Finnish, you place a comma before joten when it connects two independent clauses. In casual speech or informal writing it sometimes gets dropped, but using the comma is recommended for clarity.
How is ei toiminut formed grammatically?
This is the past tense negative construction: you take the negative auxiliary ei (3rd person singular) and pair it with the main verb toimia in its past participle form toiminut. Together they mean “did not work.”
Why is kahvinkeitin still in the nominative case in the negative clause?
In Finnish negatives, only direct objects switch to the partitive case—subjects remain in the nominative. Here kahvinkeitin (coffee maker) is the subject of “did not work.”
What is kahvinkeitin literally, and how is it formed?
kahvinkeitin is a compound noun: kahvi (“coffee”) + keitin (“maker” or “brewer”). Finnish often creates new words by combining two or more nouns.
Could you use the passive form irrotettiin instead of irtosi, and what would be the nuance?
Yes.
• Johto irtosi = “the cord came loose” (it happened by itself).
• Johto irrotettiin = “the cord was detached” (passive voice, implying someone removed it).