Learn Hardcore Finnish: Jos sade jatkuu, otan takin ja kaulaliinan. - If the rain continues, I take a coat and a scarf.

Jos sade jatkuu literally: If the rain continues (present)
In English you’d probably say: If the rain continues / If the rain keeps up / If it keeps raining
and understand it as If the rain continues (in the future).

There is no separate “will continue” form in Finnish. The present tense covers:

present time: Sade jatkuu nyt. – The rain is continuing now.
near future: Huomenna sade jatkuu. – Tomorrow the rain will continue.

So jatkuu does double duty: present and future depending on context.

What exactly is the difference between sade and sataa?

sade is a noun: rain
sataa is a verb: to rain (it rains)

In this sentence:

sade jatkuu = the rain continues
Literally “rain continues”.

You could also say:

Jos sade jatkuu – If the rain continues
Jos sade vain jatkuu – If the rain just keeps going
Jos sataa, otan takin ja kaulaliinan. – If it rains, I’ll take a coat and a scarf.

Both sade jatkuu and sataa are natural, but they emphasize slightly different things:

sataa talks about the actual raining happening.
sade jatkuu treats rain as an ongoing state (the period of rain continues).

Why is there a comma between Jos sade jatkuu and otan takin ja kaulaliinan?

Finnish normally puts a comma between a dependent clause and the main clause, even when English often doesn’t.

Jos sade jatkuu, otan takin ja kaulaliinan.
→ If the rain continues, I’ll take a coat and a scarf.

This is parallel to English style when the if-clause comes first, but Finnish keeps the comma even if you reverse the order:

Otan takin ja kaulaliinan, jos sade jatkuu.
→ Still with a comma in Finnish.

So the rule is simpler in Finnish: subordinate clause + main clause → usually separate with a comma, regardless of order.

Why is there no minä in the sentence? How do we know it means I?

Finnish verb endings show who the subject is, so the pronoun is optional.

otan is the 1st person singular form of ottaa (to take).
The ending -n on ota- means I do it.

So:

(Minä) otan takin ja kaulaliinan.
→ I’ll take a coat and a scarf.

Including minä is possible, but usually adds a bit of emphasis:

Jos sade jatkuu, minä otan takin…
→ “If the rain continues, I will take a coat…” (maybe contrasting with someone else).

In neutral speech, minä is often dropped and the verb ending is enough.

What does otan cover in English? Does it mean “take with me” or “put on”?

Otan is the 1st person singular of ottaa – to take.

Its exact English translation depends on context:

otan takin:
- could be I take the coat, I’ll take a coat (with me), or I’ll put on a coat, depending on the situation.

If the context is going outside in the rain, otan takin is naturally understood as:

I’ll take a coat (with me) or I’ll put on a coat.

More specific options:

Otan takin mukaan. – I’ll take the coat along/with me.
Laitan takin päälle. / Puen takin (ylle). – I’ll put on the coat.

In everyday speech, otan takin is often enough; listeners fill in whether you mean “with me” or “on me” from context.

Why do takin and kaulaliinan end in -n? What case is that?

Base forms in the dictionary:

takki – coat
kaulaliina – scarf

In the sentence, they appear as:

takin, kaulaliinan

The -n here is genitive singular form, which is also commonly used for the total object in Finnish (often called “accusative” in learner grammars).

With a simple, completed action like otan (I take), a singular object is normally in this -n form:

Otan takin. – I (will) take the coat.
Otan kirjan. – I (will) take the book.

So:

Dictionary form: takki, kaulaliina
Object form in this sentence: takin, kaulaliinan

Could we say Jos sade jatkuu, otan takki ja kaulaliina without the -n endings?

No, that would be incorrect.

takki and kaulaliina (without -n) are in the nominative form, but as objects of otan they need the genitive/accusative form in this context:
- takin, kaulaliinan

The nominative (no ending) is for:

subjects: Takki on uusi. – The coat is new.
some objects in certain structures, but not here.

Here we want:

otan takin ja kaulaliinan – I (will) take a coat and a scarf.

Can the word order be changed, like Otan takin ja kaulaliinan, jos sade jatkuu? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can absolutely say:

Otan takin ja kaulaliinan, jos sade jatkuu.

The basic meaning stays the same:
I’ll take a coat and a scarf if the rain continues.

Subtle nuance:

Jos sade jatkuu, otan takin…
– Slightly more focus on the condition (the rain) first.
Otan takin ja kaulaliinan, jos sade jatkuu.
– Slightly more focus on what you’ll do, with the condition added after.

Both are fully natural and commonly used. Finnish word order is quite flexible, especially with jos-clauses like this.

Could you use the conditional verb form ottaisin instead of otan? What would that mean?

Yes, you could say:

Jos sade jatkuisi, ottaisin takin ja kaulaliinan.

Differences:

Original:
- Jos sade jatkuu, otan takin ja kaulaliinan.
  → A straightforward condition that’s quite realistic or neutral: → If the rain continues, I’ll take a coat and a scarf.
With conditional:
- Jos sade jatkuisi, ottaisin takin ja kaulaliinan.
  → Feels more hypothetical, more “what if”, or less likely.
  → If the rain were to continue, I would take a coat and a scarf.

Both clauses switch to the conditional:

jatkuisi (from jatkua)
ottaisin (from ottaa)

The original sentence is more everyday and neutral for a very real possibility.

In English we might say “If it keeps raining, I’ll take a coat and a scarf.” How would that version look in Finnish?

Several very natural options:

Keep the original structure:
- Jos sade jatkuu, otan takin ja kaulaliinan.
  → Very close to “If the rain continues, I’ll take a coat and a scarf.”
Use the verb sataa:
- Jos sataa edelleen, otan takin ja kaulaliinan.
  → If it’s still raining, I’ll take a coat and a scarf.
- Jos alkaa taas sataa, otan takin ja kaulaliinan.
  → If it starts raining again, I’ll take a coat and a scarf.
A bit more colloquial:
- Jos se vaan jatkaa satamista, otan takin ja kaulaliinan.
  (“If it just keeps on raining…”) – more wordy and informal.

Your original sentence is already a very natural way to express that idea.

Is kaulaliina the usual word for scarf? I’ve also seen kaulahuivi.

Both are correct and common:

kaulaliina
- literally “neck cloth”
- often used for a regular scarf, especially a strip of fabric worn around the neck (winter, fashion, etc.)
kaulahuivi
- also “neck scarf”
- can refer to a scarf, shawl, or wrap; sometimes felt a bit more like a shawl-style or wrap depending on context, but in practice they overlap a lot.

In your sentence you could say either:

Jos sade jatkuu, otan takin ja kaulaliinan.
Jos sade jatkuu, otan takin ja kaulahuivin.

Both sound natural. Locally and personally, people may have preferences, but both are correctly understood as “scarf”.

How is jatkuu different from jatkaa?

They are two related verbs:

jatkua (intransitive) – to continue (by itself)
- sade jatkuu – the rain continues
- no direct object
jatkaa (transitive) – to continue something / to carry on with
- jatkan työtäni – I continue my work
- has a direct object (työtäni, my work)

In your sentence:

sade jatkuu is correct because the rain itself continues; nothing is being continued by someone.

You would not say:

*sade jatkaa – incorrect here, because sade is not continuing something else; it is what is continuing.

Why is the sentence translated with “I’ll take a coat and a scarf” instead of “I take a coat and a scarf”? Does Finnish present equal English future here?

Finnish doesn’t have a separate future tense. The present tense verb form otan covers:

present time: “I take / I am taking”
future time: “I will take / I’m going to take”

In conditional structures like Jos sade jatkuu, otan…, context strongly points to a future meaning, so natural English is:

If the rain continues, I’ll take a coat and a scarf.

Literal:

Jos sade jatkuu – If the rain continues
otan – I take
… but in real use: I will take.

So yes: here Finnish present is used to express what English sees as a future action.