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."

Formation and use

Kertomalla is formed by adding the suffix -malla to the verb stem kertoa. The gerund can take objects in the genitive to specify what is being told, for example, kertomalla tarinansa ("by telling his story"). The phrase acts as a non-finite clause that modifies the main clause, indicating the means by which the action is accomplished.

Examples

- 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.)

Relation to other forms

Kertomalla is related to kertominen, the noun form meaning “the act of telling.” While kertominen refers to the act itself, kertomalla emphasizes the method or means of performing an action. Like other Finnish non-finite forms, kertomalla does not change for subject or tense; the subject of the main clause is implied.

Notes

Kertomalla is primarily a written- or formal style device and is typical in narrative or instructional texts. It is one of several gerundial forms used to express manner, alongside other -malla/-mällä constructions with different verbs.