Kertomalla
Kertomalla is the present active gerund (instrumental gerund) of the Finnish verb kertoa, meaning "to tell" or "to narrate." It expresses the manner or means by which an action is performed and is used to introduce an adverbial clause that describes how something is done. In Finnish grammar, -malla/-mällä forms are used to indicate the method or accompanying circumstance, roughly equivalent to the English "by telling" or "through telling."
Kertomalla is formed by adding the suffix -malla to the verb stem kertoa. The gerund can take
- Kertomalla tarinoita, hän sai kuulijat nauramaan. (By telling stories, he made the listeners laugh.)
- Kertomalla kokemuksistaan, hän valaisi oppilaiden epäilyksiä. (By telling about his experiences, he clarified the students’ doubts.)
Kertomalla is related to kertominen, the noun form meaning “the act of telling.” While kertominen refers to
Kertomalla is primarily a written- or formal style device and is typical in narrative or instructional texts.