Kartoittaen

Kartoittaen is a Finnish non-finite verb form derived from the verb kartoittaa, meaning to map, chart, or inventory. It functions as the present adverbial participle (a manner participle) and expresses the way in which the action of the main verb is carried out. In English, its gist is often conveyed as “by mapping” or “in mapping.”

Formation and usage are typical of Finnish non-finite participles: kartoitta- is the stem, and the suffix -en yields kartoittaen. This form is most commonly found in written Finnish, especially in scientific, methodological, or descriptive prose, where it can link clauses or introduce a supplement that describes the method used in the main action. It tends to appear in formal contexts and is less frequent in everyday speech.

Examples:

- Kartoittaen alueen elinympäristöt, tutkijat keräsivät tiedot. (By mapping the habitat areas, the researchers collected the data.)

- Kartoittaen väestötiheyttä, tilastot koottiin ja analysoitiin. (By mapping population density, the statistics were compiled and analyzed.)

- Kartoittaen tutkimusalueen rajat, projektia on helpompi hallita. (By mapping the boundaries of the study area, the project is easier to manage.)

Relation to other forms: kartoittaa is the base verb; kartoittaminen forms a noun meaning the act of mapping, while kartoittaen is the adverbial participle used to describe how actions are performed. Kartoittaen is characteristic of precise, method-focused language and is one of several non-finite forms Finnish uses to indicate relation between actions without adding explicit conjunctions.