Learn Hardcore Finnish: Virasto sulkeutuu pian, mutta palvelutiski on vielä hetken auki. - The office is closing soon, but the service counter is still open for a moment.

sulkeutuu is the present tense of sulkeutua = to close (by itself / to become closed), i.e. intransitive. The office is not “closing something”; it is closing.
sulkee would be from sulkea = to close (something), which usually needs an object (e.g. He sulkevat viraston = They close the office).
suljetaan is passive: Virasto suljetaan pian = The office will be closed soon (focus on the action done by someone, agent not mentioned).

What tense is sulkeutuu, and does it refer to the future?

Sulkeutuu is present tense (3rd person singular), but Finnish often uses the present tense for near-future scheduled events:

Virasto sulkeutuu pian = The office is closing soon / will close soon.

What does pian mean exactly, and where can it appear in the sentence?

Pian means soon. It’s an adverb and is quite flexible:

Virasto sulkeutuu pian.
Pian virasto sulkeutuu. The first is the most neutral.

Why is there a comma before mutta?

In Finnish, you typically put a comma before mutta (but) when it connects two full clauses:

Virasto sulkeutuu pian, mutta palvelutiski on vielä hetken auki. Both sides can stand as complete sentences, so the comma is standard.

What is palvelutiski? Is it one word?

Yes—Finnish commonly forms compound nouns as one word:

palvelu = service
tiski = counter/desk
So palvelutiski = service counter / service desk (the place where you get in-person service).

Why is it palvelutiski on auki and not some verb meaning “is open”?

Finnish often expresses “open/closed” as a state using olla (to be) + an adjective/adverb-like word:

on auki = is open
on kiinni = is closed So palvelutiski on auki is the normal way to say “the service desk is open.”

What does vielä mean here?

Vielä means still (or sometimes yet, depending on context). Here it clearly means still:

on vielä … auki = is still open

Why is it hetken (not hetki or hetkeksi)?

Hetken is the form commonly used to express duration meaning for a moment / for a little while:

vielä hetken = for a little while longer You’ll also see:
hetkeksi = for a moment (for a purpose / “for a moment (into that state)”, often “temporarily”)
But in this sentence, vielä hetken is the most natural “still for a bit” expression.

Does vielä hetken auki mean “open for a moment” or “open in a moment”?

It means open for a little while (longer).
If you wanted “open in a moment” (i.e. it will open soon), you’d use different wording, e.g. avautuu pian = will open soon.

Is auki an adjective, an adverb, or something else?

In practice, auki behaves like a predicative complement with olla (similar to an adjective in English “open”), even though words like auki/kiinni don’t always match adjective patterns perfectly. Learner-friendly rule: treat on auki / on kiinni as fixed, very common state expressions.

Why isn’t there an article like “the” or “a” in Finnish?

Finnish has no articles. Context supplies the meaning:

Virasto can be the office (a specific known one) or an office (generic), but in real usage it’s usually clear from the situation.

Could the word order be changed, and would it change the emphasis?

Yes. Finnish allows flexible word order to shift focus:

Neutral: Virasto sulkeutuu pian, mutta palvelutiski on vielä hetken auki.
Emphasize “still”: Virasto sulkeutuu pian, mutta palvelutiski on vielä auki hetken. (less common, slightly stylized)
Emphasize “service desk”: Virasto sulkeutuu pian, mutta palvelutiski on vielä hetken auki. (already does this well by contrasting the two parts)