Kirjoittaessani
Kirjoittaessani is a Finnish adverbial participle form of the verb kirjoittaa, meaning “to write.” It expresses that the action of writing takes place simultaneously with another action in the main clause, and is commonly translated as “while I was writing” or “as I wrote.” The form is a non-finite clause and is often used to add context or nuance to a sentence without a separate subordinate clause.
In its formation, the base is the verb kirjoittaa. The adverbial participle is built with the suffix
Usage and tone: kirja kirjoittaa - style is more common in written Finnish, including literature, essays, and
- Kirjoittaessani esseetä, muistin lähteeni. (While I was writing the essay, I remembered my sources.)
- Kirjoittaessani päiväkirjaa, tunsin oloni vapaaksi. (As I was writing the diary, I felt free.)
See also: lukiessani, kuunnellessani, which are analogous adverbial participles with different verb stems.