Kaatamalla

Kaatamalla is an instrumental gerund form of the Finnish verb kaataa, meaning to pour or to tip. As a grammatical form it denotes the act of pouring or tipping and is used to express the manner in which an action is performed, often translated into English as “by pouring” or “while pouring.”

Origins and grammar: kaataa belongs to the group of Finnish verbs that form the instrumental gerund with the suffix -malla. The related noun kaataminen expresses the act of pouring or tipping. Kaatamalla is used to describe how something is done, functioning as a means or method in a sentence without requiring a separate finite verb for that action.

Usage: In everyday Finnish, kaatamalla appears mainly in descriptive or literary contexts and in dictionaries as a grammatical form. More common verb forms such as kaataa (to pour) or kaataminen (the act of pouring) are used for actual actions, while kaatamalla provides a way to specify the manner of doing something or to add stylistic nuance in writing.

Notes: Kaatamalla is one of several -malla/-mällä instrumental gerunds in Finnish, which can be used to convey how an action is carried out. While it is a correct and recognizable form, native usage often favors finite verb constructions for straightforward statements, with kaataminen in more formal or technical contexts.