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Jos virtakatko tulee, irrotan tietokoneen pistorasiasta heti.

Jos virtakatko tulee, irrotan tietokoneen pistorasiasta heti.
If there is a power outage, I unplug the computer from the outlet immediately.
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Questions & Answers about Jos virtakatko tulee, irrotan tietokoneen pistorasiasta heti.

Why is there no word for will in irrotan even though the sentence talks about the future?
Finnish often uses the present tense to talk about future events when the context makes the timing clear. In a conditional sentence like this, irrotan (literally I unplug) naturally means I will unplug. Finnish has ways to emphasize futurity (e.g., tulen irrottamaan), but they’re not required here.
What does Jos do, and does it always require a comma?

Jos means if and introduces the condition. When the jos-clause comes first, Finnish normally separates it from the main clause with a comma:

  • Jos X, Y. If the main clause comes first, the comma is usually not used:
  • Irrotan tietokoneen heti, jos virtakatko tulee. (Comma optional/rare depending on style, but usually no comma.)
Why does Finnish say virtakatko tulee (a power cut comes) instead of something like happens?

Finnish commonly uses tulla (to come) to mean to occur / to happen in certain situations, especially for events that arrive unexpectedly:

  • virtakatko tulee = a power outage occurs You could also say Jos tulee virtakatko... (more on that below) or Jos sähkökatko tulee... (synonym).
Can I also say Jos tulee virtakatko, ...? What’s the difference?

Yes. Both are natural:

  • Jos virtakatko tulee, ... = slightly more explicit/neutral (topic first)
  • Jos tulee virtakatko, ... = often a bit more conversational and “event-focused” (the verb comes first) Both mean the same thing.
What exactly is virtakatko? Is it a compound word?

Yes, it’s a compound:

  • virta = electricity/current/power
  • katko / katkos = cut/interruption So virtakatko means power outage / power cut. A very common synonym is sähkökatko (electricity cut).
Why is it irrotan and not irroitan or something else? What form is it?

irrotan is the 1st person singular present tense of irrottaa (to detach / unplug).

  • base verb: irrottaa
  • present 1sg: irrotan = I unplug / I detach The stem changes are normal Finnish verb inflection; you learn them as part of conjugation patterns.
Why is tietokoneen ending in -en? What case is that?

tietokoneen is the object in the accusative (object) form, which for many singular nouns looks like the genitive -n:

  • tietokone = (a) computer
  • tietokoneen = the computer (as a total/complete object) Here it implies you unplug the computer completely (a single completed action).
Could it be tietokonetta instead? What would that change?

You could use the partitive tietokonetta, but it would change the nuance:

  • irrotan tietokoneen = I unplug the computer (completed action)
  • irrotan tietokonetta = I’m unplugging the computer / I unplug at it (incomplete/ongoing, or not guaranteed to finish) With a one-time action like unplugging, tietokoneen is the natural choice.
What case is pistorasiasta, and why does it mean from the socket?

pistorasiasta is the elative case (-sta/-stä), which means out of / from inside:

  • pistorasia = electrical outlet/socket
  • pistorasiasta = from (out of) the socket It’s used because the plug is conceptually “in” the socket and you remove it out of it.
Why isn’t it pistorasiasta pois or something longer?

Finnish can add words like pois (away) for emphasis:

  • irrotan ... pistorasiasta = I unplug ... from the socket
  • irrotan ... pistorasiasta pois = I unplug ... out of the socket (more emphatic) In this sentence, pistorasiasta already gives the needed meaning, so pois is optional.
Does Finnish need the pronoun minä (I) here?

No. Finnish verb endings show the subject, so the pronoun is usually omitted:

  • irrotan already means I unplug You might add minä for contrast or emphasis:
  • ... minä irrotan tietokoneen heti = I (not someone else) will unplug it immediately.
Is the word order flexible? Could I move heti or other parts?

Yes, word order is fairly flexible, and changes emphasis:

  • ..., irrotan tietokoneen pistorasiasta heti. (neutral)
  • ..., irrotan heti tietokoneen pistorasiasta. (emphasizes immediacy)
  • ..., heti irrotan tietokoneen pistorasiasta. (strong emphasis on heti, more marked) The neutral placement for heti is often near the end or right before what it modifies most strongly.