Liittyessä

Liittyessä is a Finnish non-finite verb form: it is the present adverbial participle (converb) of the verb liittyä, meaning “to join” or “to be related.” The form expresses a circumstance of the action in the main clause and corresponds roughly to English “upon joining” or “when joining.” It is used to link clauses without a finite verb of its own.

Grammatically, liittyessä is not marked for person or number. It functions in subordinate clauses to indicate time, condition, or circumstance. The phrase typically appears with an object in the illative or other case forms of the target of joining, for example oh­jelmaan liittyessä = “upon joining the program.” Because it is a non-finite form, the subject of the subordinate clause is often understood from context and can be the same as the subject of the main clause, though clarity may require including the subject in the main clause.

Usage and style notes:

- liittyessä is common in written Finnish, especially in formal or instructive texts, contracts, and procedures.

- It can be used to express simultaneous or sequential actions without using a conjunction, similar to English “while joining” or “upon joining.”

- In everyday spoken Finnish, speakers more often use finite clauses with tai conjunctions or separate sentences, but liittyessä remains correct and idiomatic in formal contexts.

Related forms include liittyä (base verb), liittyminen (the noun “joining/participation”), and related participial forms such as liittyvä (present active participle). Concerns about ambiguity can be mitigated by choosing more explicit sentence structures when the subjects differ between clauses.