Korjaus oli yllättävän edullinen, joten olin helpottunut.

The repair was surprisingly affordable, so I was relieved.

Breakdown of Korjaus oli yllättävän edullinen, joten olin helpottunut.

• minä: I
• olla: to be
• joten: so
• edullinen: affordable
• yllättävän: surprisingly
• helpottunut: relieved
• korjaus: the repair

Questions & Answers about Korjaus oli yllättävän edullinen, joten olin helpottunut.

Why does the sentence have both oli and olin—what’s the difference?

They’re both past tense forms of olla (to be), but they’re conjugated for different subjects:

• oli = he/she/it was (3rd person singular) → Korjaus oli... (The repair was...)
• olin = I was (1st person singular) → ...joten olin helpottunut. (...so I was relieved.)

So the verb changes because the subject changes from korjaus (repair) to the implied minä (I).

Why is korjaus in this form—what case is it?

Korjaus is in the nominative singular, which is the default dictionary form. Here it functions as the subject of the clause Korjaus oli ... (The repair was ...).
With the verb olla (to be), Finnish typically uses nominative for the subject (and often also for the predicate adjective—see below).

What is going on with yllättävän—why does it end in -n?

Yllättävän is the adverb surprisingly, formed from the adjective yllättävä (surprising) by using the -n adverb form (historically related to the genitive).
So:

• yllättävä = surprising (adjective)
• yllättävän = surprisingly (adverb modifying an adjective)

In this sentence it modifies edullinen: yllättävän edullinen = surprisingly affordable.

Why is edullinen in the nominative, not partitive (like edullista)?

With olla (to be), Finnish commonly uses a predicate adjective in the nominative when describing the subject as a whole:

• Korjaus oli edullinen. = The repair was affordable.

The partitive (edullista) is used more in contexts like:

• when emphasizing an incomplete/indefinite amount or a more “somewhat/partly” feel (depending on context), or
• certain set expressions and stylistic choices.

But for a straightforward “X was (adjective)”, nominative (edullinen) is the expected choice.

What does joten do exactly, and how is it different from koska?

Joten means so / therefore, and it introduces a result/consequence:

• Korjaus oli yllättävän edullinen, joten olin helpottunut. = The repair was surprisingly affordable, so I was relieved.

Koska means because, and introduces a reason:

• Olin helpottunut, koska korjaus oli yllättävän edullinen. = I was relieved because the repair was surprisingly affordable.

So:

• joten = consequence
• koska = reason

Why is there a comma before joten?

Because joten introduces a new clause. In Finnish, you generally put a comma between two independent clauses, especially when the second clause begins with conjunctions like joten.
So the comma marks the boundary between: 1) Korjaus oli yllättävän edullinen
2) joten olin helpottunut

What form is helpottunut—is it a tense?

Helpottunut is the past participle (often called the perfect participle) of helpottua (to feel relieved / to become relieved).
Used with olla, it describes a state:

• olin helpottunut = I was (in a relieved state) / I felt relieved

It’s not the simple past of the verb; it’s a participle functioning like an adjective.

Why isn’t minä (I) included—shouldn’t it be minä olin helpottunut?

Finnish usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the person:

• olin clearly indicates I was

You can add minä for emphasis or contrast:

• ...joten minä olin helpottunut = ...so I was relieved (implying maybe someone else wasn’t)

But without emphasis, omitting minä is more natural.

Could this sentence be said in a different word order?

Yes. Finnish word order is flexible, though the original is very neutral and common. For emphasis, you could shift elements:

• Yllättävän edullinen korjaus oli, joten olin helpottunut. (emphasizes surprisingly affordable)
• Olin helpottunut, koska korjaus oli yllättävän edullinen. (same idea but framed as reason)

The meaning stays similar, but the focus changes.

Why use edullinen instead of halpa—are they the same?

They overlap, but the tone differs:

• halpa = cheap (can sound negative: “low quality”)
• edullinen = affordable / good value (often more neutral or positive)

So yllättävän edullinen often suggests “better price than expected” without implying poor quality.