Keskustellessani

Keskustellessani is a Finnish adverbial participle form derived from the verb keskustella, meaning to discuss or to converse. It expresses that the action of conversing occurs at the same time as another action described in the main clause, typically in a narrative context. The form translates to “while I was discussing/conversing.”

Formation and usage: Keskustellessani is built from the verb stem keskustell-, followed by the present adverbial participle ending and a personal ending that marks the subject (in this case, first-person singular). The ending -essani signals that the subject of the participial clause is “I.” Other persons have corresponding forms, such as -essasi (you), -essansa (he/she), and so on. The participial clause is usually separated from the main clause by a comma and can appear at the beginning or inside a sentence, providing a concise way to indicate simultaneity without a separate finite verb.

Examples: Keskustellessani hänen kanssaan huomasin virheen. (While talking with him, I noticed a mistake.) Keskustellessani ystäväni kanssa opin uuden asian. (While talking with my friend, I learned something new.) These constructions are common in written and spoken Finnish and are particularly useful in narrative and descriptive passages to show concurrent actions or circumstances.

Notes: The form can also be used with other subjects by using the appropriate person ending (for example, -essansa for he/she). There is a related non-personal form, such as keskustellessa, which generalizes the activity “while conversing” without specifying the subject. Keskustellessani is a typical example of Finnish adverbial participles that express temporal simultaneity in a compact, stylistically flexible way.