Kauppa on jo kiinni, joten menen kotiin.

The store is already closed, so I go home.

Breakdown of Kauppa on jo kiinni, joten menen kotiin.

• olla: to be
• mennä: to go
• joten: so
• jo: already
• koti: home
• kauppa: store
• kiinni: closed

Questions & Answers about Kauppa on jo kiinni, joten menen kotiin.

Why is it Kauppa on kiinni instead of a single verb like sulkeutuu or suljettu?

Finnish commonly expresses “(a place) is closed” with the construction olla + kiinni:

• Kauppa on kiinni = “The shop is closed.”
• kiinni literally means “shut/closed (physically), not open,” and is used very naturally for shops, offices, doors, etc.

You can also say:

• Kauppa on suljettu (more neutral/formal; “is closed”)
• Kauppa sulkeutuu (“is closing / closes,” focuses on the action/event)

In this sentence, on kiinni describes the current state.

What part of speech is kiinni here—an adjective, an adverb, or something else?

In Kauppa on kiinni, kiinni functions as a predicative complement after olla (“to be”), similar to an adjective in English (“is closed”). In Finnish, many words that describe states/locations (like auki “open,” kiinni “closed”) behave a bit adverb-like in form, but grammatically they fill the “predicate” role after olla.

What does jo add, and where can it go in the sentence?

jo means “already” and adds the idea that the shop is closed by now / earlier than expected / sooner than the speaker would like.

Placement:

• Kauppa on jo kiinni (most common; jo focuses on the timing of being closed)
• Kauppa on kiinni jo is possible but sounds more marked and is used when you contrast with something like “only now” or “not earlier.”

Why is there a comma before joten?

Because joten (“so / therefore”) introduces a new clause, and Finnish normally uses a comma between main clauses in this kind of structure:

• Kauppa on jo kiinni, joten menen kotiin. This is very standard punctuation in Finnish.

What’s the difference between joten and other “so” words like niin or siksi?

They overlap, but the feel and structure differ:

• joten = “so/therefore,” very common for linking clauses (often after a comma): …, joten …
• niin = “so/then,” more conversational and flexible; can sound like “well, then…”: Kauppa on jo kiinni, niin menen kotiin.
• siksi = “that’s why / for that reason,” often used with että or as an adverb in the clause: Kauppa on jo kiinni, siksi menen kotiin.

In your sentence, joten is a clean, neutral way to express result.

Why is it menen and not minä menen? Is the subject optional?

Yes, the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb ending shows the person:

• menen = “I go / I’m going”

You can add minä for emphasis or contrast:

• Minä menen kotiin = “I am going home (as opposed to someone else).”

What tense is menen—present or future?

Formally it’s present tense, but Finnish present often covers near future depending on context:

• menen kotiin can mean “I go home” or “I’m going home (now/soon).”

If you want to stress “I will go (later),” you can add a time word:

• Huomenna menen kotiin = “Tomorrow I’ll go home.”

Why is it kotiin and not koti or kotona?

These are different cases answering different “home” questions:

• kotiin (illative) = “to home / into home” → direction/goal (Where to?)
• kotona (inessive) = “at home” → location (Where?)
• koti (nominative) is the basic dictionary form and is used in some specific structures, but not for “(go) to home” by itself.

So menen kotiin is the normal “I’m going home.”

Why does koti become kotiin—what’s happening with the ending -in?

kotiin is the illative form of koti. For some words, the illative is formed with a lengthened vowel plus -n (often written as -Vn, where V repeats the preceding vowel):

• koti → kotiin
• maa → maahan is different (shows that illative formation varies by word type)

You mainly learn these by patterns and exposure, but kotiin is a very common, fixed-feeling form.

Could you also say menen kotia?

In standard Finnish, menen kotiin is the normal form. kotia exists, but it’s:

• dialectal/older in many contexts, or
• used in some fixed expressions and poetic style.

If your goal is natural modern standard Finnish, stick with kotiin for “(go) home.”

Is kauppa singular here, and how would it change if you meant “the shops are closed”?

Yes, Kauppa is singular: “the shop.”

Plural would be:

• Kaupat ovat jo kiinni, joten menen kotiin. Changes:
• kauppa → kaupat (plural nominative)
• on → ovat (3rd person plural of olla)

How is this sentence typically pronounced—anything tricky?

A few common pronunciation points:

• Kauppa has a long “pp” (consonant length matters): kaup-pa
• kiinni has a long “ii” and double nn: kiin-ni
• kotiin has a long “ii”: ko-tiin
• Stress is usually on the first syllable of each word: KAUppa on jo KIINni, JOten MEnen KOtiin