Jos flunssa pahentuu, menen sairaalaan.

If the flu gets worse, I will go to the hospital.

Breakdown of Jos flunssa pahentuu, menen sairaalaan.

• minä: I
• mennä: to go
• jos: if
• -an: to
• sairaala: the hospital
• pahentua: to get worse
• flunssa: the flu

Questions & Answers about Jos flunssa pahentuu, menen sairaalaan.

What does jos mean here, and how does it work in the sentence?

Jos means if. It introduces a conditional clause.

• Jos flunssa pahentuu = If the flu gets worse
• menen sairaalaan = I (will) go to the hospital

In Finnish, the jos-clause (the condition) can come before or after the main clause:

• Jos flunssa pahentuu, menen sairaalaan.
• Menen sairaalaan, jos flunssa pahentuu.

The meaning is essentially the same; starting with jos just emphasizes the condition a little more.

Why are both verbs (pahentuu, menen) in the present tense when English uses future (“will go”)?

Finnish normally uses the present tense where English would use the future.

• Jos flunssa pahentuu, menen sairaalaan.
  Literally: If the flu gets worse, I go to the hospital.
  Natural English: If the flu gets worse, I will go to the hospital.

There is no separate future tense in Finnish. Context (and sometimes time expressions like huomenna “tomorrow”) tells you it is about the future.

Why is there a comma after pahentuu?

In Finnish, when a subordinate clause (like a jos clause) comes before the main clause, it is normally separated with a comma.

• Jos flunssa pahentuu, menen sairaalaan.

If the jos clause comes after, you still usually write the comma:

• Menen sairaalaan, jos flunssa pahentuu.

So the comma here is a standard rule of Finnish punctuation, not a pause that you must strongly hear in speech.

What exactly does flunssa mean? Is it “flu” or “cold”?

Flunssa is a colloquial/general word that usually means a (common) cold or a mild flu-like respiratory infection.

• It doesn’t necessarily mean influenza in the strict medical sense.
• In everyday speech, flunssa covers “I’ve got a cold / I’ve got the flu” type situations.

So the English translation may vary between cold and flu, depending on context.

Why is flunssa in this form and what role does it play in the sentence?

Flunssa is in the nominative singular form (the basic dictionary form). Here it is the subject of the verb pahentuu:

• flunssa (subject)
• pahentuu (verb)
• “the flu gets worse”

You don’t use the partitive (flunssaa) here, because we’re talking about the whole illness getting worse, not “some flu” or “a bit of flu” in a vague or partial sense.

What does pahentuu mean, and what is its dictionary form?

Pahentuu means (it) gets worse / worsens.

• The dictionary (infinitive) form is pahentua = to get worse, to deteriorate.
• Flunssa pahentuu = The flu is getting worse.

Very roughly:

• paha = bad
• pahentua = to become worse / be made worse

Don’t confuse pahentua with pahentaa:

• pahentua – intransitive: something gets worse by itself
  
  • Oireet pahentuvat. = The symptoms get worse.
• pahentaa – transitive: someone/something makes something worse
  
  • Lääkkeen puute pahentaa tilannetta. = The lack of medicine worsens the situation.

Why is the verb pahentuu and not pahenee?

Finnish actually has two common verbs meaning “to get worse”:

1. pahentua → pahentuu
2. paheta → pahenee

Both can be used in many contexts:

• Flunssa pahentuu.
• Flunssa pahenee.

Both are understood as “The flu gets worse.”
Your sentence simply uses the pahentua version (3rd person singular: pahentuu).

Why is minä (I) not written in menen sairaalaan?

In Finnish, the personal ending on the verb usually makes the subject clear, so subject pronouns are often omitted.

• menen already tells you it is 1st person singular (I go).
• minä menen sairaalaan is also correct, but minä is only added for emphasis or clarity, e.g.:
  • Jos flunssa pahentuu, minä menen sairaalaan (enkä sinä).
    If the flu gets worse, *I will go to the hospital (not you).*

So the shorter menen sairaalaan is the normal, neutral version.

What does sairaalaan mean exactly, and what case is it?

Sairaalaan means (to) the hospital.

• The basic form is sairaala = hospital.
• sairaalaan is the illative case, which generally means “into / to (the inside of)”.

Compare:

• sairaala – hospital (basic form)
• sairaalaan – (to) the hospital (movement into)
• sairaalassa – in the hospital (being inside)
• sairaalasta – from the hospital (movement out of)

So menen sairaalaan literally means I go into the hospital, which corresponds to English I go to the hospital.

Why is there no word for “the” in sairaalaan? How do I know it’s “the hospital”, not “a hospital”?

Finnish has no articles (no a/an or the).

• sairaalaan by itself can mean to a hospital or to the hospital, depending on context.
• If the context implies a specific hospital that both speakers know, English would use the, but Finnish still just says sairaalaan.

So English has to choose a/the, but Finnish simply uses the bare noun in the right case.

Can I change the order and say Menen sairaalaan, jos flunssa pahentuu? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, that is completely correct:

• Menen sairaalaan, jos flunssa pahentuu.

The basic meaning is the same.
The difference is only a slight change in emphasis:

• Jos flunssa pahentuu, menen sairaalaan.
  → Focus a bit more on the condition (“If the flu gets worse…”).
• Menen sairaalaan, jos flunssa pahentuu.
  → Starts with your action and then adds the condition.

Both are natural.

What is the difference between jos and kun in this kind of sentence?

Both often translate as if/when, but they feel different:

• jos = if (something that may or may not happen)

  • Jos flunssa pahentuu, menen sairaalaan.
    If the flu gets worse, I’ll go to the hospital.

• kun = when / whenever (something expected or seen as certain, or factual)

  • Kun flunssa pahentuu, menen sairaalaan.
    This can sound more like you assume or expect it to get worse:
    When the flu gets worse, I (then) go to the hospital.

In everyday speech there can be overlap, but jos is the default for a real “if-condition” as in your sentence.

How would I say “If the flu doesn’t get worse, I won’t go to the hospital” in Finnish?

One natural way, keeping close to your original wording, is:

• Jos flunssa ei pahennu, en mene sairaalaan.
  
  • ei pahennu = does not get worse
  • en mene = I do not go

Note:

• Negation uses the auxiliary ei
  • a special short form of the main verb (pahentu- → pahennu, mennä → mene-).

Could I use the conditional form menisin instead of menen? What would change in meaning?

Yes, you can, but the nuance changes.

• Jos flunssa pahentuu, menen sairaalaan.
  → A real, likely condition. If it happens, you will (as a plan) go.

• Jos flunssa pahentuisi, menisin sairaalaan.
  → Using the conditional (pahentuisi, menisin) makes it sound more hypothetical or less likely, like “If the flu were to get worse, I would go to the hospital.”

So:

• present indicative (pahentuu, menen) = normal real future condition
• conditional (pahentuisi, menisin) = more remote or hypothetical scenario.