Sähkömies tarkistaa samalla pistorasiat, koska yksi pistorasia ei toimi.

The electrician will also check the outlets, because one outlet doesn’t work.

Breakdown of Sähkömies tarkistaa samalla pistorasiat, koska yksi pistorasia ei toimi.

• koska: because
• toimia: to work
• ei: not
• yksi: one
• tarkistaa: to check
• samalla: at the same time
• sähkömies: the electrician
• pistorasia: the outlet

Questions & Answers about Sähkömies tarkistaa samalla pistorasiat, koska yksi pistorasia ei toimi.

Why does samalla mean at the same time / while doing that, and what form is it?

Samalla is the adessive case of sama (same) used in a set adverbial expression:

• sama → samalla literally on the same (occasion/time)
• In practice it often means at the same time, meanwhile, or as part of the same visit/task.
  So Sähkömies tarkistaa samalla… = The electrician also checks … while he’s at it / at the same time.

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Why is it pistorasiat and not pistorasioita?

This is the Finnish object distinction:

• pistorasiat = total object (all the relevant sockets; the checking is seen as a complete action)
• pistorasioita = partial object (some sockets, not necessarily all; or the action is ongoing/indefinite)

Here, tarkistaa pistorasiat strongly suggests the electrician checks the sockets (as a set), not just some of them.

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If pistorasiat is an object, why does it look like a nominative plural?

In Finnish, the plural accusative form of many nouns is identical to the plural nominative.
So pistorasiat can function as:

• nominative plural (the sockets as subject), or
• accusative plural (the sockets as total object)

You tell from context and the verb role: tarkistaa needs an object, so it’s read as (he) checks the sockets.

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Why is there a comma before koska?

Finnish typically uses a comma before a subordinate clause introduced by conjunctions like koska (because):

• Main clause: Sähkömies tarkistaa samalla pistorasiat
• Subordinate clause (reason): koska yksi pistorasia ei toimi

So the comma marks the boundary between main clause and reason clause.

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What’s the word order in the koska clause—why is it yksi pistorasia ei toimi?

That clause has the basic Finnish order:

• Subject: yksi pistorasia (one socket/outlet)
• Negative verb: ei
• Main verb (connegative): toimi

So it’s literally: one socket doesn’t work. The order is neutral and very common.

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How does negation work in ei toimi? Why not ei toimii?

Finnish negation uses a special negative auxiliary verb (ei) that carries person/number, and the main verb appears in the connegative form.

• (se) toimii = it works
• (se) ei toimi = it doesn’t work

You don’t use the normal present form toimii after ei; you use toimi.

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Why does Finnish say yksi pistorasia instead of something like a socket?

Finnish has no articles (a/the). You can express a/an idea in several ways:

• just the noun: pistorasia ei toimi can mean a/the socket doesn’t work depending on context
• yksi pistorasia literally one socket, often used to emphasize one (particular) socket or one of them

Here, yksi highlights that the problem is with one outlet (not all).

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Could the sentence be rearranged, like starting with the reason clause?

Yes. Finnish word order is flexible for emphasis. You can front the reason:

• Koska yksi pistorasia ei toimi, sähkömies tarkistaa samalla pistorasiat.

Meaning stays essentially the same; starting with koska… foregrounds the reason.

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Why is sähkömies written as one word?

Finnish forms compound nouns very freely, and they are written together:

• sähkö = electricity
• mies = man
• sähkömies = electrician

Writing it as two words (sähkö mies) would look like electric man, not the profession.

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Is pistorasia the same as socket or outlet, and what’s the plural?

Pistorasia usually corresponds to an electrical wall outlet (BrE often socket, AmE often outlet).
Plural:

• singular: pistorasia
• plural: pistorasiat (as in the sentence)