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Netti on poikki, joten en voi kirjautua palveluun nyt.

Netti on poikki, joten en voi kirjautua palveluun nyt.
The internet is down, so I can’t log in to the service now.
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Questions & Answers about Netti on poikki, joten en voi kirjautua palveluun nyt.

What does Netti mean here, and is it informal?

Netti is a very common colloquial word for internet (from internet → netti). It’s perfectly normal in everyday speech and informal writing. In more formal contexts you might see internet or internet-yhteys:

  • Internet on poikki. (less common, but possible)
  • Internet-yhteys on poikki. (more explicit/formal)
Why does Finnish say on poikki (“is broken/cut”)? Is that the normal way to say the internet is down?

Yes—X on poikki is a common idiom meaning a connection or service is down/out/cut off. It literally relates to something being “cut/broken,” but it’s widely used for networks, phone lines, etc. Examples:

  • Netti on poikki. = The internet is down.
  • Puhelinlinja on poikki. = The phone line is down. You can also hear netti ei toimi (“the internet doesn’t work”) as a simpler alternative.
Why is it Netti on... and not something like “Netti ovat...” or “Minun netti...” ?

Netti is singular, so it takes the singular verb on (3rd person singular of olla, “to be”). You only use ovat with plural subjects. You don’t need minun (“my”) unless you specifically mean your internet connection (as opposed to the internet in general):

  • Netti on poikki. = (The) internet is down.
  • Mun netti on poikki. = My internet (connection) is down. (very spoken style)
What does joten mean, and how is it different from koska?

Joten means so / therefore, introducing a result/consequence:

  • Netti on poikki, joten... = The internet is down, so...

Koska means because, introducing the reason:

  • En voi kirjautua palveluun nyt, koska netti on poikki. = I can’t log in now because the internet is down.

So joten points forward to the consequence; koska points to the cause.

Is the comma before joten required?

In standard written Finnish, yes: when joten introduces a new clause, it’s normally preceded by a comma:

  • Netti on poikki, joten en voi... In casual texting, people may drop commas, but in correct writing you should include it.
How does the negation en voi work? Why is it not minä en voi?

Finnish negation uses a separate negative verb that conjugates for person:

  • en = I don’t
  • et = you don’t
  • ei = he/she/it doesn’t So en voi literally = “I don’t can” → “I can’t”.

You often omit the subject pronoun (minä) because the verb form already shows the person:

  • en voi already implies “I”. You can add minä for emphasis/contrast:
  • Minä en voi kirjautua... = I can’t log in (maybe others can).
What form is voi? What is the dictionary form?

voi is the 1st/3rd person singular present tense of voida (“to be able to/can”).

  • Dictionary form: voida
  • minä voin = I can
  • hän voi = he/she can With negation:
  • en voi = I can’t
Why is kirjautua in that form, and what does it mean grammatically?

kirjautua is the basic infinitive (dictionary form) of a verb meaning to log in / to sign in. It’s a reflexive-style verb (ending -utua / -autua) suggesting “to get oneself logged in.” With a modal verb like voida (“can”), Finnish uses the infinitive:

  • voin kirjautua = I can log in
  • en voi kirjautua = I can’t log in
Why is it palveluun and not palvelu or palvelussa?

palveluun is the illative case, meaning “into/to (inside)” a place/service—here: “log in to the service.”

  • palvelu = the service (basic form)
  • palveluun = into/to the service (illative)
  • palvelussa = in the service (inessive; location/state)

“Logging in” is treated as entering access to the service, so kirjautua + illative is very common:

  • kirjautua palveluun You can also see kirjautua sisään palveluun (more explicit “log in”), but often kirjautua alone is enough.
Why does palvelu become palveluun (double “u”)? How is the illative formed?

For many words ending in -u / -y, the illative is formed with -un / -yn, and the final vowel often lengthens in spelling:

  • palvelu → palveluun
  • koulu → kouluun (“to school”) This is a regular pattern; the long vowel is part of how Finnish marks the illative with these word types.
Where can nyt go in the sentence? Does moving it change the emphasis?

nyt (“now”) is flexible, and placement affects emphasis slightly:

  • ..., joten en voi kirjautua palveluun nyt. = neutral: not now
  • ..., joten nyt en voi kirjautua palveluun. = emphasis on now (maybe later I can)
  • ..., joten en nyt voi kirjautua palveluun. = “I can’t right now” (common spoken emphasis) All are understandable; the original is a very natural neutral version.
Are there alternative natural ways to say the same thing in Finnish?

Yes, a few common variants:

  • Netti ei toimi, joten en voi kirjautua palveluun nyt. (“The internet isn’t working...”)
  • Netti on alhaalla, joten en pääse kirjautumaan palveluun nyt. (“Net is down, so I can’t get to logging in...”)
  • Yhteys on poikki, joten en voi kirjautua palveluun. (“The connection is down...”)