Rikkoutuessa

Rikkoutuessa is a Finnish adverbial participle form of the verb rikkoutua, meaning “to break.” The form denotes a conditional or circumstantial clause equivalent to “in the event of breakage” or “upon breaking.” It is used to describe the condition under which a second action occurs, often in technical, safety, or instruction texts.

The construction is formed from the verb stem rikkout- with the present adverbial participle ending -essa (-ssa in some environments). As an adverbial participle, rikkoutuessa introduces a non-finite clause that sets the circumstances for the main clause, similar to English “in case of …” or “upon … breaking.”

Usage notes:

- Rikkoutuessa is most common in written Finnish, particularly in manuals, warnings, packaging, and other formal or technical writing.

- In everyday speech, speakers more often use explicit conditional forms such as jos laite rikkoutuu or kun laite rikkoutuu.

- The phrase should be translated according to context as “in case of breakage,” “in the event of breaking,” or “upon breaking.”

Example sentences:

- Rikkoutuessa laite katkaisee virran. (In the event of breaking, the device cuts off the power.)

- Rikkoutuessa hälytys aktivoituu. (Upon breaking, the alarm activates.)

Relation to other forms:

- Rikkoutua has other finite forms for conditional or temporal clauses, but rikkoutuessa specifically functions as a non-finite, adverbial clause marker in formal Finnish style.