Lamppu on rikki, joten huoltomies korjaa sen huomenna.

to be

Breakdown of Lamppu on rikki, joten huoltomies korjaa sen huomenna.

• se: it
• huomenna: tomorrow
• joten: so

Questions & Answers about Lamppu on rikki, joten huoltomies korjaa sen huomenna.

Why is it Lamppu and not lamppu (lowercase)? Do I always capitalize nouns in Finnish?

No—Finnish does not capitalize common nouns. Only the first word of the sentence and proper names are capitalized. So Lamppu is capitalized here only because it starts the sentence; otherwise it would be lamppu.

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What exactly is the structure on rikki? Is rikki an adjective?

On rikki is a very common Finnish way to say something is broken.

• on = is (3rd person singular of olla, to be)
• rikki is not a typical inflecting adjective; it behaves more like a fixed predicative word meaning broken / out of order in this construction.

You’ll often see the pattern X on rikki (phone, car, door, etc.).

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Could I also say Lamppu on rikkinäinen? What’s the difference?

Yes, Lamppu on rikkinäinen is possible.

• rikki is very common in everyday speech and feels straightforward: (is) broken / not working.
• rikkinäinen is a more “adjective-like” word and can sound a bit more descriptive (often like broken/damaged as a state).

In many practical contexts they’re close, but on rikki is especially idiomatic for “not working”.