Antaessaan

Antaessaan is a Finnish grammatical form used to express a concurrent action in a subordinate clause. It is the present active participle of the verb antaa (to give) in the third person singular, formed with the suffix -essaan. The form indicates that the action of the subordinate clause occurs at the same time as the action of the main clause, and it is commonly rendered in English as “while giving” or “as [someone] gave.” In standard Finnish, antaessaan is most frequent in written or formal prose and in narrative or expository texts; it is less common in casual speech.

Usage and syntax: Antaessaan typically introduces a subordinate clause that shares the same subject as the main clause. The main clause can precede or follow the -essaan clause. Examples: Hän hymyili antaessaan minulle lahjan. Translation: He smiled as he gave me the gift. Another example: Katsoessaan ikkunasta, hän näki linnun. Translation: Looking out the window, he saw a bird. The form harmonizes with other present active participles formed in the same pattern, such as katsoessaan (looking), nauraessaan (laughing).

Etymology and related forms: The form is built from the verb antaa plus the third-person singular -essaan, a pattern that appears across many Finnish verbs. Related participial forms from other verbs follow the same structure, for example katsoessaan (from katsoa, to look) and kuunnellessaan (from kuunnella, to listen).

See also: Finnish grammar, participles, subordinate clauses.