Connected communication
Connect sentences and explain your opinion
Use reasons, results, conditions and relative clauses to turn short sentences into a clear message or opinion.
Try the practice questionsBy YKI Test Prep. Published and updated . Original study material, independent of the official YKI test.
What you will learn
- Choose connectors by meaning.
- Build readable subordinate and relative clauses.
- Support an opinion with a reason and an example.
Choose the relationship before the connector
A connector tells the reader how two ideas relate. Koska introduces a reason, joten introduces a consequence, mutta adds a contrast and vaikka introduces a concession. If you choose the connector only because it sounds more advanced, you may reverse the intended logic of the message.
Start with two short sentences and say their relationship aloud. I was late. The bus did not come. The missing bus is the reason, so olin myöhässä, koska bussi ei tullut. If you start with the missing bus, use the result frame: bussi ei tullut, joten olin myöhässä.
| Relationship | Connector | Useful question |
|---|---|---|
| Reason | koska | Why? |
| Consequence | joten | What follows? |
| Condition | jos | Under what condition? |
| Concession | vaikka | Despite what? |
| Time | kun | When? |
Opiskelen kotona, koska kirjasto on kiinni.I am studying at home because the library is closed.
The koska clause explains the reason.
Kirjasto on kiinni, joten opiskelen kotona.The library is closed, so I am studying at home.
The joten clause gives the consequence.
Keep a complete verb structure in each clause
A finite subordinate clause has its own verb structure. Haluan tulla, mutta en pääse tänään contains an affirmative clause and a negative clause. Do not drop the negative verb simply because the first clause already has a verb. Similarly, luulen, että kurssi alkaa maanantaina needs alkaa inside the että clause.
In the simple examples here, a comma separates the main clause and its subordinate clause. Longer sentences have additional punctuation rules, but a useful first editing check is to find each finite verb and identify which clause it belongs to. If you cannot explain the connection, split the sentence.
Luulen, että kurssi alkaa maanantaina.I think the course starts on Monday.
Luulen introduces the speaker's view; alkaa belongs to the reported content.
Jos minulla on aikaa, tulen mukaan.If I have time, I will join you.
A condition may come first; the main clause states the result.
Use joka to identify a person or thing
A relative clause can add information about a noun: kurssi, joka alkaa maanantaina. Choose the relative pronoun's case from its role inside its own clause. A course starts, so joka is the subject. You participate in a course, osallistua kurssille, so kurssi, jolle osallistun uses jolle.
Joka commonly refers to a preceding noun expression. Mikä can refer to an entire preceding proposition: bussi myöhästyi, mikä harmitti minua. This is a useful starting contrast, not a complete rule for every abstract expression or superlative. Keep the referring expression close to the noun so the reader knows what it describes.
Löysin kurssin, joka alkaa maanantaina.I found a course that starts on Monday.
Joka is the subject of alkaa, even though kurssin is an object in the main clause.
Tämä on kurssi, jolle osallistun.This is the course I am participating in.
Osallistua takes a -lle complement, so the relative form is jolle.
Bussi myöhästyi, mikä harmitti minua.The bus was late, which annoyed me.
Mikä refers to the whole situation of the bus being late.
Develop a point instead of listing connectors
An understandable opinion has a claim, a reason and a concrete example. Add a concession if it helps you acknowledge a limitation: vaikka verkkokurssi on joustava, kaipaan keskustelua. The point is to show a relationship between ideas, not to use as many connectors as possible.
For revision, underline your opinion and circle the sentence that supports it. If the support only repeats the claim in different words, add a real example from an everyday situation. Finish with a conclusion that follows from the reasons you actually gave. These are practice-writing techniques, not a guaranteed exam score formula.
Mielestäni lähikurssi on hyödyllinen, koska siellä voi keskustella muiden kanssa.In my opinion, an in-person course is useful because you can talk with others there.
The reason explains the value of the claim.
Vaikka matka kestää kauan, haluan käydä kurssilla.Although the journey takes a long time, I want to attend the course.
The concession acknowledges a drawback without reversing the opinion.
Mistakes and corrections
Before: Bussi ei tullut, koska myöhästyin.
After: Myöhästyin, koska bussi ei tullut.
If the intended reason for being late is the missing bus, the reason belongs after koska. The original reverses the causal relationship.
Before: Kurssi, joka osallistun, alkaa tänään.
After: Kurssi, jolle osallistun, alkaa tänään.
The relative pronoun takes its case from osallistua inside the relative clause.
Everyday dialogue
- A
Pidätkö verkkokurssista?
Do you like the online course?
- B
Pidän, koska voin opiskella kotona.
Yes, because I can study at home.
- A
Minä pidän kurssista, jolla voi keskustella paljon.
I like a course where you can have lots of discussions.
- B
Niin minäkin. Vaikka opiskelen kotona, haluan puhua muiden kanssa.
So do I. Although I study at home, I want to speak with others.
Koska gives a reason. Jolla adds information about the course. Vaikka acknowledges that home study and wanting interaction can both be true.
Practise and understand your answers
Choose an answer to see feedback. You can try again. The answer guide below also works without interactive practice.
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Explained answer guide
Try the questions before opening the explanations. Each alternative is explained so you can identify the pattern you need to revisit.
1. Jään kotiin, ___ olen väsynyt. Introduce the reason.
Answer: koska
- koska: Koska introduces why the speaker stays home.
- joten: Joten would present being tired as a consequence of staying home.
- mutta: Mutta introduces a contrast, not the requested reason.
2. Bussi ei tullut, ___ kävelin kotiin. Introduce the result.
Answer: joten
- vaikka: Vaikka would frame walking home as a concession, not the requested consequence.
- koska: Koska would make walking home the reason the bus did not come.
- joten: Joten introduces walking home as the consequence.
3. Tämä on kurssi, ___ osallistun. Use the osallistua + -lle pattern.
Answer: jolle
- joka: Joka would be a subject form; this pronoun is the complement of osallistun.
- jolle: The relative clause needs the -lle form, jolle.
- jonka: Jonka does not express the required -lle relation.
4. Bussi myöhästyi, ___ harmitti minua. Refer to the whole preceding event.
Answer: mikä
- mikä: Mikä can refer to the whole situation of the bus being late.
- jolle: Jolle would express a -lle relation to a noun, not this whole-event reference.
- jonka: Jonka is not the subject form needed for harmitti in this whole-event reference.
Use it yourself
Write a short opinion about studying at home or on a course. State your preference, give one reason, acknowledge a drawback and finish with a practical choice. Your draft stays on this page until you leave or reload. It is not submitted or automatically graded.
Compare a model response and its grammar
English translation
In my opinion, an in-person course suits me because I want to practise speaking. On the course I meet people with whom I can talk. Although the journey takes half an hour, I gladly attend the course.
Why these forms work
- Mielestäni identifies the personal opinion.
- Koska introduces the reason.
- Joiden kanssa expands the noun ihmisiä.
- Vaikka acknowledges a disadvantage while retaining the preference.
For speaking practice, cover the model and explain the same situation aloud with your own details. Continue with writing practice or speaking practice, which have their own guest preview limits.
Check the pattern in a new situation
A connector is a statement about the relationship between ideas. Check the logic before checking punctuation: a reason is different from a consequence, and a concession is different from a condition.
A useful decision sequence
- Ask why to identify the reason and introduce it with koska.
- Ask what follows to identify a consequence and introduce it with joten.
- Read a relative clause on its own to choose the pronoun's case: asun talossa becomes talo, jossa asun.
Harjoittelen kotona, koska kurssi on tauolla.I practise at home because the course is on a break.
The course break is the reason for the home practice.
Kurssi on tauolla, joten harjoittelen kotona.The course is on a break, so I practise at home.
The same facts are presented with the consequence second.
One more situation to try
Give an opinion about a nearby library. Support it with a reason and add one sentence describing the library with a relative clause.
See an example and the reasoning
Mielestäni lähikirjasto on tärkeä, koska siellä voi opiskella rauhassa. Se on paikka, jossa tapaan myös kurssikavereitani.
In my opinion, the local library is important because you can study there in peace. It is a place where I also meet my course friends.
How the grammar supports the message
Koska supplies a reason for the opinion. Jossa refers to paikka and gives the location within its own clause. The second sentence adds a concrete use of the place instead of simply repeating that the library is important.