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Putki vuotaa taas, joten soitan putkimiehelle heti.

Putki vuotaa taas, joten soitan putkimiehelle heti.
The pipe is leaking again, so I will call the plumber immediately.

Breakdown of Putki vuotaa taas, joten soitan putkimiehelle heti.

minä
I
soittaa
to call
joten
so
-lle
to
heti
immediately
taas
again
vuotaa
to leak
putkimies
plumber
putki
pipe
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Questions & Answers about Putki vuotaa taas, joten soitan putkimiehelle heti.

Why is putki in the basic form here? Shouldn’t it have an ending?

Putki is the subject of the sentence (The pipe), so it’s in the nominative (the dictionary form). In Finnish, the subject is often just the plain form with no extra ending, especially in simple present-tense clauses like Putki vuotaa (The pipe is leaking).

What form is vuotaa, and why is it not vuotan or something else?

Vuotaa is the 1st infinitive (dictionary form) of the verb vuotaa (to leak), but in Finnish the 3rd person singular present tense form is identical here:

  • (minä) vuodan = I leak
  • (sinä) vuodat = you leak
  • (se) vuotaa = it leaks

So Putki vuotaa uses vuotaa because the subject is putki (3rd person singular: it).

Does taas mean again or still here?

Taas most commonly means again / once more in this kind of context: the pipe has started leaking again.
It can sometimes mean in turn or on the other hand, but with vuotaa it strongly reads as again.

Why is there a comma before joten?

Because it joins two full clauses:

  • Putki vuotaa taas (clause 1)
  • joten soitan putkimiehelle heti (clause 2)

In Finnish, when a conjunction like joten (so/therefore) connects two independent clauses, a comma is typically used before it.

What’s the difference between joten, koska, and niin?
  • joten = so/therefore (shows a result/consequence)
    → Putki vuotaa, joten soitan... = The pipe is leaking, so I’ll call...
  • koska = because (gives the reason)
    → Soitan..., koska putki vuotaa. = I’m calling because the pipe is leaking.
  • niin can mean so/then, but it’s more conversational and flexible; it’s not the same clear “logical therefore” connector as joten.
Why is soitan in the present tense if it means I will call?

Finnish often uses the present tense for near-future actions, especially when the timing is clear from context or an adverb like heti (immediately).
So soitan ... heti naturally means I’ll call ... right away without needing a special future tense.

What does soittaa literally mean here—could it also mean to play (music)?

Yes, soittaa can mean:

  • to call / phone someone
  • to ring (a bell, doorbell)
  • to play an instrument

Here it clearly means to call, because it’s followed by a person in the “recipient” case: putkimiehelle (to the plumber).

Why is it putkimiehelle and not something like putkimiestä or putkimiehen?

Because soittaa (in the sense of calling) typically takes the allative case (-lle) to mark who you call/contact:

  • soitan putkimiehelle = I call the plumber (literally: I place a call to the plumber)

Other cases would change the meaning or sound unnatural here:

  • putkimiestä (partitive) would suggest an object in a different type of verb pattern and doesn’t fit standard soittaa usage for calling.
  • putkimiehen (genitive) would mean of the plumber, not to the plumber.
How is putkimiehelle built? Why does it look so long?

It’s a compound + a case ending:

  • putki = pipe
  • mies = man (in compounds often -mies, here meaning a tradesman)
  • putkimies = plumber (literally “pipe-man”)
  • putkimiehelle = to the plumber (allative -lle)

The stem changes inside the word because mies inflects irregularly:

  • mies → miehe- in many cases
    So putkimies → putkimiehelle.
Could the word order be different, like Soitan putkimiehelle heti, koska putki vuotaa taas?

Yes. Finnish word order is flexible, and you can reorder for emphasis or style:

  • Putki vuotaa taas, joten soitan putkimiehelle heti. (leak first → consequence)
  • Soitan putkimiehelle heti, koska putki vuotaa taas. (action first → reason)

Both are correct, but they feel slightly different in focus: what you put first often feels like the topic or starting point.

Is heti always placed at the end?

Not always. Heti is an adverb and can move for emphasis:

  • ... soitan putkimiehelle heti. (neutral)
  • ... soitan heti putkimiehelle. (slightly more emphasis on immediately)
  • Heti soitan putkimiehelle. (strong emphasis: Right away I’ll call the plumber)

All are possible; the original is a very natural neutral placement.