Learn Hardcore Finnish: Kahvilassa on ilmainen wifi, sehän helpottaa työtä. - There is free Wi‑Fi in the café; that sure makes work easier.

It’s an enclitic particle that adds a nuance like “as you know,” “indeed,” or “after all.” It marks the statement as something obvious, shared, or mildly surprising in a positive way. Compare:

Se helpottaa työtä. = It makes work easier. (neutral)
Sehän helpottaa työtä. = That certainly/indeed makes work easier.

Is sehän related to the pronoun hän (“he/she”)?

No. Sehän = se (“it/that”) + the enclitic -han/-hän. The -hän here is not the pronoun; it’s a particle. Because of vowel harmony, it’s written sehän (not “sehan”).

Why is there a comma before sehän? Isn’t that a run-on?

Finnish allows a comma between two main clauses when the second comments on or follows from the first. You could also write:

Kahvilassa on ilmainen wifi. Sehän helpottaa työtä.
Kahvilassa on ilmainen wifi, ja sehän helpottaa työtä. All are fine, with slightly different rhythm.

Why kahvilassa and not kahvilaan or kahvilalla?

kahvilassa = “in the café” (inessive), used for location inside a place.
kahvilaan = “into the café” (illative), movement into; not correct here.
kahvilalla = “at/on the café” (adessive). With a possessive structure it can mean “The café has…,” e.g. Kahvilalla on ilmainen wifi = “The café has free wifi.” The original chooses the inessive existential: “There is free wifi in the café.”

Why is the word order Kahvilassa on ilmainen wifi instead of Ilmainen wifi on kahvilassa?

This is the typical existential construction: place first, then on, then a new/indefinite thing. It presents the existence of something at a location. Ilmainen wifi on kahvilassa sounds more like you’re identifying the location of already-known free wifi.

Why is there no article like “a” or “the”?

Finnish has no articles. Indefiniteness here is conveyed by the existential word order (Kahvilassa on…) and context, not by a separate word.

Does ilmainen mean “free” like freedom?

Ilmainen means “free of charge.” For freedom/availability, Finnish uses vapaa. A close synonym of ilmainen is maksuton. So: ilmainen wifi = wifi that costs nothing.

How do Finns write and pronounce wifi?

Everyday writing often uses lowercase wifi (also Wi-Fi occurs). Pronunciation is typically like “vifi” (with a v sound), though you’ll hear variations. You may also see wlan in tech contexts.

Why is työtä in the partitive case?

With a transitive helpottaa (“to make easier”), the thing being eased is typically in the partitive, because the action affects it only partially/abstractly. Common collocations are partitive: helpottaa työtä/arkea/kipua/oloa. Hence työtä, not base työ.

Could I use työn or työntekoa instead of työtä?

työn (genitive “the work” as a total object) is unusual here and sounds off with helpottaa.
työntekoa (partitive of “doing work”) is idiomatic: sehän helpottaa työntekoa = “it makes the act of working easier.” Both työtä and työntekoa are natural; työntekoa is a bit more explicit.

Is helpottaa transitive or intransitive?

Both.

Intransitive: “to get easier/let up” — Kipu helpottaa. (The pain eases.)
Transitive: “to ease/make easier” — Se helpottaa työtä. (It makes work easier.) In the transitive use, the object is usually partitive.

Why is helpottaa spelled with one p?

That’s just the verb’s spelling: helpottaa (one p, double t). Don’t confuse it with helppo (“easy”), which has pp. They’re related in meaning but have different spellings.

What exactly does se refer to in Sehän helpottaa työtä?

It refers back to the situation just mentioned—effectively “the fact that there is free wifi” or simply “the free wifi.” Finnish se often points to the whole preceding idea.

Could I write it as one sentence with a relative clause?

Yes: Kahvilassa on ilmainen wifi, joka helpottaa työtä. That’s neutral and literal (“…which makes work easier”). Using se(hän) makes it more conversational and adds the “as we both see” nuance.

How would I say the negative: “There is no free wifi at the café”?

Kahvilassa ei ole ilmaista wifiä. In negative existential clauses, the thing that doesn’t exist is in the partitive (ilmaista wifiä).

What’s the difference between työtä and töitä here?

työtä = partitive singular: “work” in general, the activity.
töitä = partitive plural: “(pieces of) work/jobs/tasks.” Se helpottaa töitä would mean it makes the tasks/jobs easier—possible but a different nuance.

Is sehän informal? When should I use it?

It’s neutral-to-colloquial and very common in speech and relaxed writing. It softens statements and invites agreement. In very formal writing you’d prefer the neutral Se helpottaa työtä or a relative clause.