Log inSign up

Netti on poikki, joten joudun lähettämään tiedoston myöhemmin.

Netti on poikki, joten joudun lähettämään tiedoston myöhemmin.
The internet is down, so I have to send the file later.
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Finnish grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Finnish now

Questions & Answers about Netti on poikki, joten joudun lähettämään tiedoston myöhemmin.

What does Netti mean, and is it formal Finnish?

Netti is a very common colloquial word meaning the internet / internet connection. It’s informal-neutral (everyday speech, texts, casual emails). In more formal contexts you might see internet, internet-yhteys (internet connection), or verkko depending on context.

Why is it Netti on poikki and not something like “internet is broken” using a normal adjective?

Poikki literally means (cut) in two / snapped / broken off, and in this idiom it means down / out / not working (especially for connections and services). So Netti on poikki = The internet is down / My connection is out. It’s a fixed, very common everyday expression. Similar idioms:

  • Sähköt on poikki = The power is out
  • Puhelinlinja on poikki = The phone line is down
Why is it on (singular “is”) and not plural, since I sometimes see Sähköt ovat poikki / Sähköt on poikki?

Here netti is singular, so on is normal: Netti on poikki. With plural subjects, Finnish has:

  • Standard/formal: ovat (e.g., Sähköt ovat poikki)
  • Very common spoken: on even with plurals (e.g., Sähköt on poikki) So your sentence is straightforward: singular subject → on.
What does joten do in the sentence, and where does it usually go?

Joten means so / therefore and introduces the consequence:

  • Netti on poikki, joten… = The internet is down, so… It commonly comes after a comma, linking two clauses. Finnish doesn’t force “inversion” after so like English sometimes does; you keep normal word order:
  • …joten joudun… (subject + verb)
What exactly does joudun mean here?

Joutua means to end up having to / to be forced to / to have to (due to circumstances).
So joudun lähettämään… implies it’s not your preference—something external (the internet being down) makes it necessary.

Compare:

  • Minun täytyy lähettää tiedosto myöhemmin. = I have to send the file later. (neutral obligation)
  • Minun pitää lähettää… = I have to… (very common, slightly more spoken)
  • Joudun lähettämään… = I’m forced to / I’ll have to (because of the situation)
Why is lähettämään in that form? What grammar is it?

Lähettämään is the MA-infinitive illative form (often taught as “the 3rd infinitive illative”). It’s used after certain verbs (like joutua, mennä, tulla, päätyä) to mean to go/come/end up doing:

  • joutua tekemään = to end up having to do So:
  • joudun lähettämään = I end up having to send

Basic pattern:

  • joutua + verb-MA + -Vn
    Examples:
  • Joudun odottamaan. = I’ll have to wait.
  • Joudut maksamaan. = You’ll have to pay.
Could I say joudun lähettää instead?

In standard written Finnish, no: after joutua you use lähettämään (MA-infinitive illative), not the basic infinitive lähettää. In some casual spoken Finnish you may hear shortened/variant forms, but for learning and writing, stick to:

  • joudun lähettämään
Why is it tiedoston (ending in -n)?

Tiedoston is in the genitive, which is also the form used for a total object (often called the “accusative-like” object in Finnish grammar) in affirmative sentences.

Here, I will send the whole file (a complete, finished action), so Finnish uses the total object:

  • lähettää tiedosto → lähettää tiedoston

If the meaning were incomplete/ongoing/partial, you might see the partitive:

  • lähettää tiedostoa (sending some of it / sending it in a non-complete sense, or in certain contexts)

But with a single file and a completed sending event, tiedoston is the natural choice.

Does myöhemmin mean “later” or “later on”? Can it go elsewhere in the sentence?

Myöhemmin means later / later on. It’s an adverb and is flexible in placement:

  • …lähettämään tiedoston myöhemmin. (very natural)
  • …myöhemmin joudun lähettämään tiedoston. (possible, emphasizes “later”)
  • …joudun myöhemmin lähettämään tiedoston. (also possible)

The most neutral is exactly as in your sentence: time adverb near the end.

Is Netti always “the internet” generally, or can it mean “my internet connection”?

In everyday Finnish, Netti on poikki is usually understood as my/the current internet connection is down in the situation at hand (home Wi‑Fi, mobile data, office network). If you want to be explicit:

  • Nettiyhteys on poikki. = The internet connection is down.
  • Meidän netti on poikki. = Our internet is down.
  • Mobiilidata on poikki. (less common phrasing) / Mobiilidata ei toimi. = Mobile data isn’t working.
How would I make this more formal or more casual?

More formal:

  • Internet-yhteys ei toimi, joten joudun lähettämään tiedoston myöhemmin.
  • Internet on poikki, joten… (still fairly neutral)

More casual/spoken:

  • Netti on poikki, niin lähetän sen myöhemmin. (uses niin = “so/then”, and sen = “it”)
  • Netti ei toimi, joten laitan tiedoston myöhemmin. (laittaa is common colloquial “send/put” depending on context)
What’s the pronunciation/stress like for tricky parts such as joten, joudun, and lähettämään?

Key points:

  • Finnish stress is almost always on the first syllable: JO-ten, JOU-dun, LÄ-het-tä-mään.
  • joudun has a clear ou diphthong (like “oh-oo” said quickly).
  • lähettämään has a long vowel -mään (the ää is long). Long vowels/consonants matter in Finnish rhythm: hold them slightly longer.
  • tt in lähettämään is a long consonant: you “pause” slightly before the t sound compared to a single t.