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Jos sovellus ei toimi, kirjaudun sisään tietokoneella.

Jos sovellus ei toimi, kirjaudun sisään tietokoneella.
If the app doesn’t work, I log in on the computer.

Breakdown of Jos sovellus ei toimi, kirjaudun sisään tietokoneella.

minä
I
jos
if
-lla
on
toimia
to work
ei
not
kirjautua sisään
to log in
tietokone
computer
sovellus
app
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Questions & Answers about Jos sovellus ei toimi, kirjaudun sisään tietokoneella.

Why is there a comma after Jos sovellus ei toimi?

In Finnish, a jos (if) clause is a subordinate clause, and it’s normally separated from the main clause with a comma:

  • Jos sovellus ei toimi, kirjaudun sisään tietokoneella.
    This is standard Finnish punctuation (similar to many styles of English).
What does jos do grammatically in this sentence?

Jos introduces a conditional subordinate clause (“if …”). It sets up a condition for what happens in the main clause:

  • Condition: Jos sovellus ei toimi = If the app doesn’t work
  • Result: kirjaudun sisään… = I log in… / I’ll log in…
Why does Finnish use the present tense (kirjaudun) to mean “I will log in”?

Finnish often uses the present tense to talk about future actions, especially when the future meaning is clear from context (like an if-clause or a plan).
So kirjaudun can naturally mean:

  • I log in (habit/general)
  • I will log in (future intention/decision)

If you want to emphasize intention, you can add a word like sitten (then) or aina (always), depending on meaning.

How does negation work in ei toimi?

Finnish negation uses a negative auxiliary verb (ei) plus a special verb form called the connegative.

  • ei = 3rd person singular negative auxiliary (“does not”)
  • toimi = connegative form of toimia (“to work”)

So (se) ei toimi literally is “it not work”.

Why is it toimi and not toimii after ei?

Because after ei, Finnish does not use the normal personal ending. Instead:

  • affirmative: (se) toimii = it works
  • negative: (se) ei toimi = it doesn’t work

This pattern applies broadly:

  • Teen = I do → En tee = I don’t do
  • Hän menee = he/she goes → Hän ei mene = he/she doesn’t go
What form is kirjaudun?

kirjaudun is the 1st person singular present indicative of kirjautua (to log in / to sign in).

  • Base form: kirjautua
  • Meaning here: I log in / I’ll log in

Also, kirjautua is an “-ua/-yä” verb and often implies “to get oneself logged in” (a kind of self-directed action).

Do I need to say minä (“I”) here?

Usually no. The verb ending already shows the subject:

  • kirjaudun clearly means “I log in”

You can add minä for emphasis or contrast (like “I (not someone else) will log in”):

  • Jos sovellus ei toimi, minä kirjaudun sisään tietokoneella.
What is sisään doing here? Is it a case ending?

sisään is an adverb meaning “in / inside / into”. It is not a case ending here.
In login language, Finnish commonly uses kirjautua sisään = “to log in (in/into the system)”.

In many contexts, kirjaudun sisään and kirjaudun can both be used, but sisään makes it feel more explicit: “log in (to the service)”.

Why is it tietokoneella and not tietokoneessa?

tietokoneella uses the adessive case (-lla/-llä), which often means:

  • “on” (on the surface)
  • “using/by means of”
  • “at” (location)

Here it means using a computer / on a computer (as a device/platform).

tietokoneessa (inessive, “in the computer”) would usually sound wrong for this meaning, because you’re not inside the computer.

Does tietokoneella mean “with a computer” or “on a computer”?

It can cover both ideas in English, but in this context it means:

  • on a computer (as opposed to on a phone app)
  • using a computer (as the tool/device)

Finnish often uses the adessive (-lla/-llä) for “by/with” tools:

  • kynällä = with a pen
  • autolla = by car
  • tietokoneella = with/on a computer
Could I also say kirjaudun tietokoneella sisään? What about word order?

Yes, Finnish word order is flexible, but it affects emphasis.

  • Neutral/common: kirjaudun sisään tietokoneella
  • Also possible: kirjaudun tietokoneella sisään (emphasizes the device a bit earlier)

Putting the key contrast later can feel more “punchy,” so ending with tietokoneella can highlight “(not with the app) but on the computer”.

Is sovellus the usual word for “app”? Could it mean something else?

Yes, sovellus is the standard word for an app/application. It can mean:

  • a phone app
  • a software application generally

If the context is clearly a phone app, sovellus still works perfectly; you don’t need to specify “phone”.

How would the meaning change if I used the conditional mood, like kirjautuisin?

kirjaudun (indicative) sounds like a real plan/decision: “If it doesn’t work, I’ll log in on a computer.” kirjautuisin (conditional) would sound more hypothetical/polite/less committed, depending on context:

  • Jos sovellus ei toimisi, kirjautuisin sisään tietokoneella.
    = “If the app didn’t work (hypothetically), I would log in on a computer.”

In everyday problem-solving instructions, the indicative kirjaudun is very natural.