Luen sopimuksen läpi ennen kuin allekirjoitan sen.

I read through the contract before I sign it.

Breakdown of Luen sopimuksen läpi ennen kuin allekirjoitan sen.

• minä: I
• se: it
• ennen kuin: before
• allekirjoittaa: to sign
• sopimus: contract
• lukea läpi: to read through

Questions & Answers about Luen sopimuksen läpi ennen kuin allekirjoitan sen.

Why is sopimus in the form sopimuksen (with -n)?

Because it’s the object of the verb luen (I read), and here it’s treated as a total object (the whole contract gets read through). In Finnish, a singular total object is often marked with -n (traditionally called accusative/genitive-looking form): luen sopimuksen = I’ll read the contract (completely / as a whole).

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What does läpi add here, and is it a postposition or something else?

Läpi literally means through, but with reading it functions like a particle/postposition meaning all the way through / completely.
So luen sopimuksen läpi is I read the contract through (from start to finish), not just “I read some of it.”

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Could I say Luen läpi sopimuksen instead of Luen sopimuksen läpi?

Yes, both are possible.

• Luen sopimuksen läpi is very common and keeps the object + läpi together as a unit.
• Luen läpi sopimuksen is also correct and may put a bit more focus on the action läpi (through completely).

In everyday Finnish, you’ll hear both.

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Why is the verb luen in the present tense if this sounds like a future action in English?

Finnish often uses the present tense for near-future or planned actions when the time relation is clear from context. Here, ennen kuin allekirjoitan (before I sign) makes it clear this is a planned sequence, so luen can naturally mean I will read / I’m going to read.

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Why does it say ennen kuin and not just ennen?

Ennen kuin is used when what follows is a clause with a finite verb (a full “I do X” statement):

• ennen kuin allekirjoitan sen = before I sign it

If you use only ennen, what follows is typically a noun/infinitive-type structure, e.g.

• ennen allekirjoittamista = before signing (more formal/compact)

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Why is it ennen kuin allekirjoitan sen (present), not a conditional or something like that?

After ennen kuin, Finnish normally uses the indicative (regular present/past) to describe the timing of a real event: before I sign it. There’s no need for a conditional unless you mean something hypothetical (e.g., before I would sign it in some imagined scenario).

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What is the form allekirjoitan exactly?

It’s the 1st person singular present indicative of allekirjoittaa (to sign):

• allekirjoitan = I sign / I will sign

The ending -n marks I.

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Why is sen there—can it be omitted?

Sen means it and refers back to sopimuksen (the contract). It’s often included to make the object of allekirjoitan explicit and avoid repeating the noun.
It can sometimes be omitted if it’s absolutely clear from context, but keeping sen is very natural and usually preferred in careful, unambiguous Finnish.

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Why is sen in that form, and what case is it?

Sen is the accusative form of se (it/that). Pronouns have a distinct accusative:

• allekirjoitan sen = I sign it

So even though many nouns show the total object with -n, pronouns use special accusative forms like minut, sinut, hänet, meidät, teidät, heidät, sen.

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What would change if I said Luen sopimusta instead of Luen sopimuksen?

That would switch to the partitive object and change the meaning nuance:

• luen sopimusta = I’m reading the contract (some of it / in progress / not necessarily to completion)
• luen sopimuksen (läpi) = I read the whole contract (through to the end)

With läpi, the total-object reading (sopimuksen) is the natural match.

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Finnish has no articles—how do we know sopimus is “the contract” here?

Finnish doesn’t have a/the, so definiteness comes from context. In a situation like signing, sopimus is typically understood as the specific contract at hand. If you needed to emphasize “this contract,” you could say tämän sopimuksen (this contract).