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Kannattaa tehdä varmuuskopio ennen kuin netti katkeaa.

Kannattaa tehdä varmuuskopio ennen kuin netti katkeaa.
It’s worth making a backup before the internet cuts out.
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Questions & Answers about Kannattaa tehdä varmuuskopio ennen kuin netti katkeaa.

What does kannattaa do grammatically in this sentence?

Kannattaa is a common way to give advice in Finnish. It’s an impersonal verb meaning something like it’s worth (doing) / you should (do).
The typical pattern is:

  • (Sinun) kannattaa + A-infinitive → (You) should / it’s worth + verb

So kannattaa tehdä = it’s worth doing / you should do.

Why is there no subject (no sinä or minä)?

Finnish often leaves the subject out with advice/necessity-type expressions. Kannattaa tehdä varmuuskopio… is a general recommendation: It’s a good idea to make a backup…
If you want to target someone explicitly, you can add it:

  • Sinun kannattaa tehdä varmuuskopio… = You should make a backup…
  • Teidän kannattaa… = You (plural) should…
Why is it tehdä and not a conjugated form like teen or tekee?

After kannattaa, Finnish uses the A-infinitive (dictionary form) of the main action.
So you get:

  • kannattaa tehdä = it’s worth to do / you should do
  • kannattaa ostaa = you should buy
  • kannattaa mennä = you should go

The conjugation stays on kannattaa, not on tehdä.

Why is it tehdä varmuuskopio and not tehdä varmuuskopion?

In “subjectless” advice/necessity constructions like kannattaa, Finnish often uses a nominative total object (sometimes taught as a special object case used in these structures).

So:

  • Kannattaa tehdä varmuuskopio. (common/natural) Compare with a sentence that has a clear subject:
  • Teen varmuuskopion. = I’ll make a backup. (genitive total object varmuuskopion)

You may also see varmuuskopion sometimes depending on style and how the sentence is structured, but varmuuskopio is very typical with kannattaa.

Could it be tehdä varmuuskopiota (partitive)? What would that change?

Yes, and it would change the nuance:

  • tehdä varmuuskopio → making a (complete) backup (a finished result is implied)
  • tehdä varmuuskopiota → doing backup work / making a backup in progress, or in a more open-ended way (not focusing on completion)

In this context (before the internet cuts out), the “complete backup” reading is usually intended.

How does ennen kuin work here?

Ennen kuin means before and introduces a subordinate clause:

  • ennen kuin + clause = before + (something happens)

So:

  • ennen kuin netti katkeaa = before the internet cuts out

It’s two words in standard writing: ennen kuin.

Why is the verb in the ennen kuin clause in the present tense (katkeaa) if it refers to the future?

Finnish commonly uses the present tense to talk about future events when the time reference is clear from context (like before-clauses).
So katkeaa can mean cuts out / will cut out depending on context.

What is netti—is it formal?

Netti is a very common, informal/neutral everyday word meaning the internet or the internet connection.
More formal alternatives include:

  • internet (also common)
  • internet-yhteys = internet connection (more specific)

In this sentence, netti naturally suggests the connection dropping.

What does katkeaa mean exactly, and what verb is it from?

Katkeaa is the 3rd person singular present of katketa = to break / to snap / to get cut off.
With connections (internet, phone calls), katketa means to cut out / disconnect.

So netti katkeaa = the internet (connection) cuts out.

Could I replace tehdä varmuuskopio with a verb like varmuuskopioida?

Yes. Finnish also has the verb varmuuskopioida = to back up.

  • Kannattaa varmuuskopioida ennen kuin netti katkeaa. = You should back up before the internet cuts out.

Both are natural; tehdä varmuuskopio is a very common “do/make + noun” style, and varmuuskopioida is a direct verb option.