Learn Hardcore Finnish: Tauko auttaa niin, että jaksan opiskella pidempään. - The break helps so that I have the energy to study longer.

It’s the Finnish equivalent of English “so … that,” introducing a result clause. The main clause states a cause or degree (Tauko auttaa), and the että-clause gives the consequence (jaksan opiskella pidempään). The focus is on the actual outcome, not on intention.

Could I use jotta instead of niin, että?

You could, but the nuance changes:

niin, että = result: a break helps, with the outcome that I can keep studying longer.
jotta = purpose/aim: I take a break in order that I can keep studying longer. With jotta, Finnish often uses the conditional in the subordinate clause: Teen tauon, jotta jaksaisin opiskella pidempään.

Is the comma before että required?

Yes. In standard Finnish, a comma is placed before että when it introduces a subordinate clause: … auttaa niin, että …. You’ll see this consistently in edited writing.

What form is jaksan, and what does jaksaa really mean?

jaksan = 1st person singular present indicative of jaksaa.
jaksaa is “to have the energy/stamina to (keep) do(ing), to be up for.” It’s not about permission or mere possibility; it’s about endurance/strength to continue.

How is jaksaa different from voida, pystyä, and kyetä?

jaksaa: stamina/energy (“I’m not too tired to do it”).
voida: can/may (possibility/permission or health: “I can/may,” “I feel well enough to”).
pystyä/kyetä: be capable/able (ability/capacity). Here, jaksan opiskella emphasizes having the energy to keep studying.

Why is there no minä (I)? Who is the subject of jaksan?

Finnish is pro-drop: personal endings on the verb show the subject. Jaksan already encodes “I.” Adding minä would add emphasis (e.g., contrast: “I (at least) can …”).

Why is it opiskella and not opiskelemaan?

After jaksaa, Finnish uses the basic infinitive (the “A-infinitive”): jaksaa opiskella (“have the energy to study”). The -maan/-mään form (the 3rd infinitive illative) is used with other verbs like movement or starting verbs: mennä opiskelemaan, alkaa/ruveta opiskelemaan. So here, opiskella is the correct complement to jaksan.

Could I rephrase the sentence without the niin, että clause?

Yes, common alternatives include:

Tauko auttaa opiskelemaan pidempään. (auttaa + -maan: “helps [one] to study longer”)
Tauko auttaa jaksamaan (opiskella) pidempään. (emphasizes stamina; often you can omit the second verb if context is clear)

What exactly is pidempään?

It’s the comparative adverb meaning “for longer (time).” Think of it as the comparative of pitkään (“for a long time”). It answers “for how long?” and is formed with the -an/-ään adverbial ending: pitkään → pidempään. Both spellings pitempään and pidempään are acceptable; pidempään is more common today.

Can I say pidempää instead of pidempään?

Not here. Pidempään is the adverbial form expressing duration (“for longer”). Pidempää is an adjective in the partitive case and would need a noun (e.g., pidempää päivää), or appear in other structures. For simple duration, use pidempään. A good synonym here is kauemmin (“longer”).

Is niin strictly necessary before että?

In this result construction, niin is typically included: … auttaa niin, että …. Dropping niin can sound off or change the feel of the clause to a plain “that”-clause. If you want to avoid the pair altogether, use one of the rephrasings in which auttaa takes an infinitive complement.

Where would I put an object if I want to say “helps me”?

Use the partitive after auttaa: Tauko auttaa minua … For example: Tauko auttaa minua jaksamaan opiskella pidempään. You can also keep the result clause: Tauko auttaa minua niin, että jaksan opiskella pidempään.

Why is the verb in the että-clause indicative (jaksan), not conditional (jaksaisin)?

Because the sentence states a factual result. With a purpose clause introduced by jotta, Finnish often uses the conditional to express desired outcome: Teen tauon, jotta jaksaisin … With a result clause (niin, että), the indicative is the norm: the break helps, and as a consequence I do have the energy.

Is there any difference between niin, että and siten, että?

They’re very close. Siten, että literally means “in such a way that” and can sound a bit more formal or procedural; niin, että is the most common everyday choice for “so … that” (result).

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

Long vowels and geminates matter: niin has a long i (ii), että has a long t (tt).
Diphthongs: Tauko has “au.”
Stress is on the first syllable of each word: TAU-ko AUT-taa NIIN, ET-tä JAK-san O-PIS-kel-la PI-demp-ään.