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Sähkömies sanoi, että sulake on kunnossa, mutta pistorasia on silti rikki.

Sähkömies sanoi, että sulake on kunnossa, mutta pistorasia on silti rikki.
The electrician said that the fuse is fine, but the outlet is still broken.
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Questions & Answers about Sähkömies sanoi, että sulake on kunnossa, mutta pistorasia on silti rikki.

Why is there a comma before että?

In Finnish, a subordinate clause introduced by että (that) is normally separated from the main clause with a comma.

  • Sähkömies sanoi, että ... = The electrician said that ... So the comma is a standard punctuation rule for subordinate clauses.
What exactly does että do here, and can I leave it out like in English?

Että introduces a content clause (what was said/thought/known).

  • Finnish generally keeps että: Hän sanoi, että...
  • Dropping it is uncommon in standard Finnish (you might see it in very colloquial speech, but it’s not recommended for learners).
Why is it sanoi and not a separate word for said plus something like did (as in English questions/negatives)?

Finnish verbs carry tense and person in the verb itself.

  • sanoi = past tense of sanoa (to say) and already means (he/she) said There’s no extra helper like English did.
Is Sähkömies a single word? How is it formed?

Yes—Finnish makes compounds very freely.

  • sähkö = electricity
  • mies = man/person
  • sähkömies = electrician (literally electricity-man/person) Compounds are typically written as one word in Finnish.
Why are sulake and pistorasia in the basic form (nominative) and not in some object case?

Because in both clauses they are the grammatical subjects of olla (to be):

  • sulake on kunnossa = the fuse is OK
  • pistorasia on rikki = the socket is broken Object cases (like accusative/partitive) would be used if they were objects of an action verb, e.g. Vaihdoin sulakkeen (I replaced the fuse).
What case is kunnossa, and why is it used to mean OK?

kunnossa is the inessive case of kunto (condition) and literally means in (good) condition. It’s a very common fixed expression:

  • olla kunnossa = to be in order / to be OK / to be fine
What is rikki grammatically—an adjective, an adverb, or something else?

rikki is used as a predicative complement with olla and behaves a bit like an adjective meaning broken. It’s very common in this pattern:

  • Se on rikki. = It’s broken. Even though it doesn’t always look like a typical adjective form, you can treat on rikki as a set phrase meaning is broken.
Why does the sentence repeat on: ... on kunnossa ... on silti rikki? Could it be omitted?

Finnish usually keeps the verb in each coordinated clause:

  • sulake on kunnossa, mutta pistorasia on silti rikki Omitting the second on is possible in some contexts, but it often sounds incomplete or informal. Repeating it is the normal, clear option.
What does silti add here, and where can it go in the sentence?

silti means still / nevertheless / even so and highlights contrast: despite the fuse being OK, the socket is broken anyway. Word order is flexible, but common placements are:

  • ... mutta pistorasia on silti rikki (very natural)
  • ... mutta pistorasia on rikki silti (possible, slightly different emphasis)
  • ... mutta silti pistorasia on rikki (puts extra emphasis on silti)
Why is there a comma before mutta?

In Finnish, you normally use a comma before mutta when it connects two full clauses (both have their own verb):

  • sulake on kunnossa, mutta pistorasia on silti rikki This is similar to English using a comma with but between two independent clauses.
Could Finnish use a different structure than sanoi, että... to express the same idea?

Yes. A common alternative is the “reported statement” structure with -van/-vän:

  • Sähkömies sanoi sulakkeen olevan kunnossa, mutta pistorasian olevan silti rikki. This can sound a bit more formal/compact. The että version is very common and straightforward.
Any pronunciation pitfalls in this sentence for an English speaker?

A few common ones:

  • ä in Sähkömies, että: not English a—it’s a front vowel (similar to the vowel in cat for many speakers, but more “fronted”).
  • Double consonants matter: tti in että is longer than a single t.
  • Stress is usually on the first syllable: SÄH-kö-mies, SA-noi, PIS-to-ra-si-a.