Käymällä

Käymällä is a Finnish verbal form belonging to the category of converbs, formed from the verb käydä, which means “to go,” “to visit,” or “to attend.” The form expresses manner or means and roughly translates to “by going/visiting” or “while visiting.” It is a non-finite verb form, meaning it does not convey tense or person by itself and typically shares the same subject as the main clause.

Formation and appearance: Käymällä is created by adding the suffix -malla to the verb stem, yielding käymällä from käydä. This pattern is common for forming instrumental or manner adverbials in Finnish; other verbs follow the same rule, such as tekemällä (by doing) and tulemalla (by coming). The converb can introduce accompanying or sequential actions in a sentence.

Usage and examples: Käymällä is used to describe how an action is performed or to indicate a method, often linking two clauses. The subject of the converb is usually the same as the subject of the main clause. For example: Käymällä läpi kaikki vaihtoehdot, löysimme parhaan ratkaisun. (By going through all the options, we found the best solution.) Another example: Hän oppi paljon, käymällä usein kaupungissa. (He learned a lot by visiting the city often.)

Nuance and style: Käymällä is most common in written Finnish, especially in formal or instructional contexts. In everyday speech, speakers may rephrase with a finite clause or other constructions, but käymällä remains a standard, grammatically correct option for expressing instrumental or accompanying actions.