Learn Hardcore Finnish: Tarkistan, että kaikki varusteet ovat repussa ennen matkaa. - I check that all the gear is in the backpack before the trip.

Tarkistan, että kaikki varusteet ovat repussa...
= Main clause: Tarkistan
= Subordinate clause: että kaikki varusteet ovat repussa ennen matkaa

This että‑clause works like the object of tarkistan (“I check / I make sure that…”), and Finnish punctuation rules say you separate such subordinate clauses from the main clause with a comma.

So:

Comma before että → standard written Finnish.
In casual text people sometimes skip commas, but in correct written Finnish it belongs there.

What exactly does tarkistan mean, and what form is it?

Tarkistan comes from the verb tarkistaa = “to check, to inspect, to verify”.

Form:

Person: 1st person singular (“I”)
Tense: present (used also for future)
Mood: indicative
Stem: tarkista-
- personal ending -n → tarkistan.

It can translate as:

“I check”
“I will check”
“I make sure / I verify”

Finnish often uses the present tense where English would use a future:

Tarkistan ... ennen matkaa.
= “I will check ... before the trip.”

What does että mean in this sentence, and what is its function?

Here että means “that”, just like in English:

Tarkistan, että kaikki varusteet ovat repussa...
→ “I check / make sure that all the equipment is in the backpack...”

Functionally:

It introduces a content clause (a “that-clause”).
That clause is the object of tarkistan.
- What do I check?
  → että kaikki varusteet ovat repussa ennen matkaa.

So it’s very parallel to English “I check that …”.

Can I leave out että, like in English “I check all the equipment are in the backpack”?

No. In this structure, you must keep että.

Ungrammatical:

✗ Tarkistan kaikki varusteet ovat repussa ennen matkaa.

Correct options:

Tarkistan, että kaikki varusteet ovat repussa ennen matkaa.
(“I check (that) all the equipment is in the backpack before the trip.”)
Tarkistan kaikki varusteet ennen matkaa.
(“I check all the equipment before the trip.” – now kaikki varusteet is a direct object, no clause)

In Finnish, a finite clause used as the content of a verb like tarkistaa, tietää, muistaa almost always needs a subordinator: että (“that”), jos (“if”), etc.

Why is kaikki varusteet in the plural, and what does varusteet mean?

Varusteet is the plural of varuste.

varuste = a piece of equipment / gear / kit
varusteet = equipment / gear (as individual items), “pieces of kit”

Here:

kaikki = “all”
varusteet = “(the) pieces of equipment / gear”
Together: kaikki varusteet = “all (the) equipment / all the gear / all the items”

It’s plural because you’re talking about multiple items.
Grammatically, kaikki varusteet is the subject of the verb ovat.

Why is it ovat repussa and not on repussa?

In standard written Finnish, verb agreement is:

Singular subject → on
- Yksi varuste on repussa. = One piece of equipment is in the backpack.
Plural subject → ovat
- Kaikki varusteet ovat repussa. = All the pieces of equipment are in the backpack.

Because varusteet is plural, the standard verb form is ovat.

In spoken / colloquial Finnish, you will often hear:

Kaikki varusteet on repussa.
- Here on is used even with a plural subject.

But for correct written Finnish, ovat is the right choice.

What case is repussa, and what does the ending -ssa mean?

Repussa is:

Base word: reppu = backpack
Case: inessive (the “in” case)
Ending: -ssa / -ssä

So:

reppu → repussa = “in the backpack”

The inessive -ssa/-ssä usually corresponds to English “in / inside”:

talossa = in the house
autossa = in the car
repussa = in the backpack

Why is it ennen matkaa, and what case is matkaa?

Ennen is a postposition / preposition meaning “before”.

It normally requires the partitive case.

Base noun: matka = trip, journey
Partitive singular: matkaa
So: ennen matkaa = “before the trip”

Patterns:

ennen
- partitive
  - ennen matkaa = before the trip
  - ennen lomaa = before the holiday
  - ennen tenttiä = before the exam

Using nominative (ennen matka) or genitive (ennen matkan) here would be wrong in standard Finnish.

Can ennen matkaa be moved to the beginning or somewhere else in the sentence?

Yes. Finnish word order is fairly flexible for adverbials like ennen matkaa.

All of these are grammatically fine:

Tarkistan, että kaikki varusteet ovat repussa ennen matkaa.
Ennen matkaa tarkistan, että kaikki varusteet ovat repussa.
Tarkistan ennen matkaa, että kaikki varusteet ovat repussa.

Differences are mostly about emphasis and flow, not basic meaning:

Starting with Ennen matkaa highlights the time frame.
Keeping ennen matkaa at the end sounds very natural and neutral in this sentence.

Why is the verb in the present tense (tarkistan, ovat) when the action is in the future (“before the trip”)?

Finnish commonly uses the present tense to talk about future events, especially when the future time is already clear from context or time expressions.

Here:

ennen matkaa (“before the trip”) already tells you it’s about the future.
So tarkistan and ovat can stay in the present tense.

English:

“I will check that all the equipment is in the backpack before the trip.”

Finnish:

Tarkistan, että kaikki varusteet ovat repussa ennen matkaa.
(Literally “I check that all the equipment is in the backpack before the trip.”)

There is a Finnish future-like form (with tuleva etc.), but it’s rare in everyday speech; the plain present is the normal choice.

Could I say “Tarkistan repun ennen matkaa” instead? How would that change the meaning?

Yes, you can:

Tarkistan repun ennen matkaa.
→ “I check the backpack before the trip.”

Differences:

Original sentence

Tarkistan, että kaikki varusteet ovat repussa ennen matkaa.
- Emphasis on the content: that all items are inside the backpack.
- You explicitly say what you’re checking for.

Alternative

Tarkistan repun ennen matkaa.
- Emphasis on the backpack itself as a direct object: you check the backpack (which can imply its contents, but that’s not stated).
- Simpler structure: verb + object; no että-clause.

Both are natural; you choose based on how specific you want to be.

Why is kaikki placed before varusteet? Could I say “varusteet kaikki”?

The normal, neutral order is:

kaikki varusteet = all the equipment / all the items

This mirrors English “all the X”:

kaikki kirjat = all the books
kaikki ihmiset = all the people
kaikki varusteet = all the gear

Putting kaikki after the noun is unusual and would sound poetic, archaic, or marked for special emphasis:

varusteet kaikki – you might see something like this in songs or stylized language, not in everyday neutral speech.

So for normal use, stick with kaikki varusteet.

Is varusteet the same as tavarat? Could I say “kaikki tavarat ovat repussa”?

You can say it, but there is a nuance difference.

varusteet = equipment, gear, kit
- Often suggests items for a specific purpose (e.g., camping gear, sports gear).
tavarat = things, stuff, belongings, items
- Very general, everyday word.

So:

kaikki varusteet = all the equipment (gear you need for the trip)
kaikki tavarat = all your things / all your stuff

In many everyday contexts they can overlap, but varusteet sounds more like purposeful equipment, which fits well with a “trip” context.