010
Log inSign up

Virtakatkon jälkeen tarkistin, että sulake on kunnossa ja että pistorasia toimii taas.

Virtakatkon jälkeen tarkistin, että sulake on kunnossa ja että pistorasia toimii taas.
After the power outage I checked that the fuse is okay and that the outlet works again.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Finnish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Finnish now

Questions & Answers about Virtakatkon jälkeen tarkistin, että sulake on kunnossa ja että pistorasia toimii taas.

Why is virtakatko in the form virtakatkon?

Because jälkeen (after) is a postposition that requires the genitive case.
So virtakatko → virtakatkon jälkeen = after the power outage.
This is the normal pattern: X:n jälkeen.

How is the word virtakatko built?

It’s a compound noun: virta (electricity/current) + katko (cut/outage) → virtakatko (power outage).
In the genitive it becomes virtakatkon.

Why does katko become katkon (what’s happening to the k)?

That’s a common Finnish change when adding endings: the stem takes -n for the genitive, giving katko + n → katkon.
With many words you’ll also see consonant gradation (like kk → k, k → ∅, etc.), but here the main visible change is simply adding the -n genitive ending to the stem form katko.

What form/tense is tarkistin?

Tarkistin is the imperfect (simple past), 1st person singular of tarkistaa (to check/verify):

  • minä tarkistan = I check (present)
  • minä tarkistin = I checked (past)
Why is there a comma before että?

Finnish normally uses a comma to separate the main clause from an että-clause (a subordinate clause):
tarkistin, että ...
So the comma marks where the subordinate clause begins.

What does että do here?

Että introduces a content clause (similar to English that):
tarkistin, että ... = I checked that ...
It’s especially common after verbs like tarkistaa (check), tietää (know), huomata (notice), sanoa (say), etc.

Why is että repeated: että ... ja että ...? Can I drop the second one?

Repeating että is optional but very common. It makes the structure clearer: you checked two separate things.
You can also say: tarkistin, että sulake on kunnossa ja pistorasia toimii taas (only one että). Both are correct.

Why are on and toimii in the present tense even though the whole sentence is in the past?

Finnish often uses the present tense in subordinate clauses to express the state as (still) true at the time of checking, or as a general/current state:

  • tarkistin, että sulake on kunnossa = I checked that the fuse is OK.
    English often “backshifts” to was, but Finnish doesn’t have to.
What does on kunnossa literally mean, and what case is kunnossa?

On kunnossa is a very common idiom meaning is OK / is in working order.
Kunnossa is the inessive of kunto (condition):

  • kunto = condition
  • kunnossa = in (a) good/working condition
Why is it sulake (not sulakkeen)?

Because in sulake on kunnossa, sulake is the subject of the verb on (is). Subjects are typically in the nominative (sulake).
It would be sulakkeen if it were an object, e.g. tarkistin sulakkeen = I checked the fuse.

What’s the difference between pistorasia and similar words like pistoke?
  • pistorasia = (wall) socket / outlet / receptacle
  • pistoke = plug (the thing on the end of a cord that you plug in)
    So pistorasia toimii = the outlet works.
Why is taas placed at the end: toimii taas?

Taas means again. Placing it after the verb is neutral and very common: toimii taas = works again.
You can move it for emphasis:

  • taas toimii can sound like it works again (now), often with a contrastive feel depending on context.
How would I negate this kind of että-clause?

A very common pattern is että → ettei (that not):

  • tarkistin, että sulake on kunnossa = I checked that the fuse is OK
  • tarkistin, ettei sulake ole kunnossa = I checked that the fuse is not OK
    (Notice ole is the negative form of on.)