Kiittäen

Kiittäen is a non-finite form of the Finnish verb kiittää, meaning to thank. It functions as a converb (adverbial participle) and corresponds to the English “thanking” or “by thanking.” Kiittäen is used to indicate the manner in which an action is performed and to connect clauses in a concise, formal style. It is most common in written Finnish—such as journalism, essays, and narrative prose—and is less common in everyday speech.

Kiittäen is formed from kiittää by adding the converb ending -en. It expresses a concomitant or preceding action and usually takes the same subject as the main clause. When kiittäen begins a sentence, it is typically followed by a comma; when it appears in the middle of a sentence, it is followed by a comma before the main clause. The construction allows a compact expression of gratitude or circumstance without repeating the subject or verb.

Related forms include kiittäminen (the act of thanking) and kiittävä (present active participle/adjective). The past participle kiittänyt and other forms exist for different tenses and grammatical uses.

Examples: Kiittäen saamastaan avusta, hän kiitti isäntää. Hän poistui kiittäen yleisöä. These illustrate how kiittäen can express manner or circumstance in formal or literary Finnish.