Kertoessaan

Kertoessaan is a Finnish adverbial participle form derived from the verb kertoa, meaning to tell. It functions as a non-finite clause that accompanies a main clause and expresses circumstantial information about the action in the main clause. In translation, it is often rendered as “as he told,” “in telling,” or “while telling.”

The form is used primarily in written Finnish, especially in narrative prose or formal writing, to provide background or to indicate that the telling occurred in relation to another action. It can convey simultaneity or sequence and helps to pack additional information into a single sentence without introducing a new finite verb. The subject of the kertoessaan clause is typically the same as the subject of the main clause.

Morphologically, kertoessaan is part of the family of adverbial participles (converbs) in Finnish. It is formed from kertoa with the suffix -essaan, and it is used to connect with the main clause to show how or when something was told. The construction does not create a separate finite clause; instead, it provides a dependent, non-finite action associated with the main clause’s subject.

Examples include: “Kertoessaan tarinan, hän hymyili.” and “Hän pysähtyi kesken tarinan, kertoessaan lopun.” These illustrate how kertoessaan adds a layer of circumstance—namely, that the telling occurs as part of or during the related action. The form is a standard tool in style-conscious Finnish writing to convey nuance without explicit conjunctions.