Kuivaamaan

Kuivaamaan is a Finnish verb form derived from the verb kuivata, meaning to dry. It is the ma-infinitive (third infinitive) form, used to express purpose or intention in conjunction with another verb or in certain non-finite constructions. In Finnish, the ma-infinitive often indicates what someone intends to do or the purpose of an action, similar to an infinitive of purpose in English.

The form is built from the verb stem and the suffix -maan or -mään, depending on vowel harmony and morphophonological rules. For kuivata, the ma-infinitive appears as kuivaamaan in standard usage. The meaning remains simply “to dry” when translated, but the grammatical function emphasizes purpose or potential sequence with another verb, rather than a standalone finite action.

Usage context and frequency vary. The ma-infinitive is common in written Finnish, technical language, manuals, and some formal or literary sentences. In everyday speech, speakers more often use the bare infinitive kuivata or other finite constructions to express drying actions. The ma-infinitive can also appear in expressions of intention, such as going to perform the drying of something, for example in phrases equivalent to “to go and dry” or “to dry in order to ….”

Related terms include the noun kuivaus (the act or process of drying) and the adjective kuivattu (dried). Understanding kuivaamaan helps with reading and constructing more formal or precise Finnish sentences where purpose or sequence is explicitly conveyed. See also Finnish grammar, ma-infinitive, kuivaus, kuivata.