Ääni katkeaa kesken kokouksen.

The sound cuts out in the middle of the meeting.

Breakdown of Ääni katkeaa kesken kokouksen.

• kokous: the meeting
• kesken: in the middle of
• ääni: the sound
• katketa: to cut out

Questions & Answers about Ääni katkeaa kesken kokouksen.

What grammatical form is "katkeaa," and what is the base verb?

"Katkeaa" is the 3rd person singular present indicative active of the intransitive verb "katketa" (verb type 4). It means that something breaks/cuts off by itself. Mini‑paradigm (present): minä katkean, sinä katkeat, hän/se katkeaa, me katkeamme, te katkeatte, he/ne katkeavat. Negative: Ääni ei katkea. Finnish present often covers near-future as well, so it can mean “will cut off” in context.

What’s the difference between "katketa" and "katkaista"?

• katketa = intransitive “to get cut off/break (on its own).” Example: Ääni katkeaa. “The audio cuts off.”
• katkaista = transitive “to cut/sever (something).” Examples: Katkaisen yhteyden. “I cut the connection.” / Hän katkaisi puhelun. “They ended the call.”

What does "kesken" mean here and what case does it require?

"Kesken" is a postposition meaning “in the middle of; before [something] is finished.” It requires the genitive: kesken kokouksen (“mid‑meeting”). It’s common in interruptions or unfinished events: kesken kaiken (“in the middle of everything”), jäädä kesken (“to be left unfinished”).

Why is it "kokouksen" and not "kokousta"?

Because "kesken" governs the genitive case. The base noun is "kokous" (meeting); its genitive singular is "kokouksen." This follows a common pattern for -us/-ys nouns: the stem changes to -ukse-/-ykse- before case endings (kokous → kokoukse- + n).

Could I say "keskellä kokousta" or "kokouksen aikana" instead? What’s the nuance?

• keskellä + PART: keskellä kokousta = “in the middle of the meeting” (more literal mid‑point/within; spatial/temporal “center” feel).
• kesken + GEN: kesken kokouksen = “mid‑meeting” with a nuance of an interruption or something being unfinished; perfect with “cuts off.”
• aikana + GEN: kokouksen aikana = “during the meeting,” neutral “at some point during.” All are grammatical; "kesken" best matches the idea of an untimely break.

Does "ääni" mean “sound” or “voice” here? Could it mean “vote”?

"Ääni" can mean:

• sound/audio,
• speaking voice,
• a vote. In a meeting/tech context like this, it’s “audio.” Examples: Ääni katkeaa. (audio) / Ääneni on käheä. (my voice) / Sain kaksi ääntä. (votes)

How do I pronounce the sentence naturally?

• Word stress is always on the first syllable: ÄÄ-ni KAT-ke-aa KES-ken KO-kouk-sen.
• ä is a front vowel (like the “a” in “cat,” but purer); ää is a long version (hold it longer).
• In katkeaa, pronounce the long aa clearly: kat-ke-aa.
• In kokouksen, syllabify roughly ko-kouk-sen; the -ksen cluster is crisp, not “kzen.”

Can I front "kesken kokouksen" for emphasis?

Yes. Kesken kokouksen ääni katkeaa. This puts focus on the timing (“In the middle of the meeting, the audio cuts off”). Finnish word order is flexible; the default S–V–(adverbials) order is also perfectly natural.

How do I say the audio is choppy or keeps cutting in and out?

Use the frequentative or a different verb:

• Ääni pätkii. = The audio is cutting in and out/choppy.
• Ääni katkeilee. = The audio keeps cutting off (repeatedly). These imply intermittent issues, not a single total cut.

How do I say it in the past or the present perfect?

• Simple past (imperfect): Ääni katkesi kesken kokouksen. = The audio cut off (once).
• Present perfect (result/state): Ääni on katkennut. = The audio has cut off (and is currently off).

Why not "kokouksessa" if I want “in the meeting”?

Kokouksessa (inessive) means “in/at the meeting” in a general locative/time sense. To express “in the middle of,” you normally use kesken + GEN or keskellä + PART. So: Ääni katkeaa kokouksessa is grammatical but lacks the “mid‑meeting” nuance.

Is the sentence natural in a video call context?

Yes, very natural. In tech contexts you’ll also hear Yhteys katkeaa (“The connection drops”) or Mikki (mikrofoni) mykistyi (“The mic got muted”) depending on what exactly failed.

Are there articles in Finnish? How do I know it’s “the audio”?

Finnish has no articles. Ääni can mean “a/one audio,” “the audio,” or “audio” in general. Context supplies definiteness. In a live meeting, listeners infer “the audio (of this call).”

Is there a difference between "kesken" and "keskellä" beyond case?

Yes:

• kesken + GEN highlights an activity being in progress/unfinished and is common with interruptions (kesken työn, kesken kokouksen).
• keskellä + PART is more about being “in the middle (center) of” something, spatially or temporally (keskellä huonetta, keskellä yötä). Both can be temporal; the choice shapes the nuance.

Any quick synonyms or variants I should know?

• Yhteys katkeaa. = The connection drops.
• Puhelu katkesi. = The call was cut.
• Ääni hävisi/katosi. = The sound disappeared.
• Ääni ei kuulu. = The audio can’t be heard.
• Ääni palasi. = The audio came back.

What’s the register of "kokous" vs other words for “meeting”?

• kokous = formal meeting (board, committee, official).
• palaveri = business meeting (neutral/informal business register).
• tapaaminen = a meeting/appointment (two parties meet).
• miitti (colloquial) = a meetup. In formal contexts, kokous fits best.