Ilmoittamalla

Ilmoittamalla is the Finnish gerund form of the verb ilmoittaa, meaning to notify or report. The gerund functions as an adverbial noun that expresses the means or manner in which an action is carried out. In English, it is often rendered as “by informing” or “by reporting.” The form is typically used to describe how something is done rather than to name the action itself.

Formation and use. The gerund is formed from the verb stem ilmoitta- and the suffix -malla, yielding ilmoittamalla. It functions without a finite tense and can combine with other elements to indicate the means by which an action occurs. For example, in phrases such as by informing about something, the gerund phrase acts as an instrumental or adverbial modifier.

Common contexts. Ilmoittamalla is frequent in formal writing, administrative instructions, and legal or organizational contexts where the means of action is important. It can introduce clauses that explain how a result is achieved or how obligations are fulfilled. For instance, Ilmoittamalla tapahtuneesta viranomaisille voidaan aloittaa toimenpiteet means that by informing the authorities about what happened, actions can be started. Another example is Ilmoittamalla asiakkaalle on mahdollista välttää väärinkäsityksiä, which illustrates informing the customer to prevent misunderstandings.

Relation to ilmoittaminen. Ilmoittaminen (the noun form) denotes the act of informing itself, while ilmoittamalla emphasizes the method or means used to achieve an outcome. Both forms are standard in Finnish and appear in similar domains, but the gerund tela emphasizes how something is done rather than naming the act as a concept.

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