Aloittaessaan

Aloittaessaan is a Finnish verb form used as a present active adverbial participle (converb) of the verb aloittaa, meaning to begin. It expresses an action that occurs at the same time as the action in the main clause, and the subject of the converb is typically the same as the subject of the main clause. The form is common in written Finnish and is used to link two actions more concisely than with a separate subordinate clause.

Formation and usage: The participle is built from the verb stem aloitta- plus the suffix -essaan, which marks the third-person singular subject in the main clause. Other person forms exist for different subjects, such as aloittaessani for first person. The converb structure allows the main clause to carry the primary predicate, while aloittaessaan signals that the starting action happened concurrently.

Translation and nuance: Aloittaessaan can be translated as “as he began,” “while starting,” or “upon starting,” depending on context. It focuses on the simultaneity of actions rather than a sequence described by finite verbs.

Examples:

- Hän meni kokoukseen, aloittaessaan puheensa. (He went to the meeting, as he began his speech.)

- He puhuivat aloittaessaan projektin suunnittelun. (They spoke as they began planning the project.)

Notes: The subject of the converb is normally the same as that of the main clause. If a different subject is intended, the sentence is usually restructured to avoid ambiguity.