Luettaessa

Luettaessa is a Finnish adverbial participle in the passive voice, used to express that an action occurs simultaneously with the action of the main clause or is encountered as a condition of it. It is commonly translated as “while it is read” or “upon reading,” depending on context. The form is typical of written Finnish and is more frequent in formal, descriptive, or instructional texts than in casual speech.

Formation and usage details:

Luettaessa is a non-finite form derived from the verb lukea (to read) and functions to link clauses without an explicit subject. It belongs to the family of adverbial participles and conveys a passive perspective, focusing on the action of reading rather than on who performs it. The corresponding active parallel form is lukiessa, meaning “while reading.” Luettaessa often appears in instructions, explanations, or descriptions where conciseness and formal tone are desired.

Examples:

- Tekstiä luettaessa voi huomata sanavalintoja. (When reading the text, one may notice word choices.)

- Sääntöjä luettaessa kannattaa kiinnittää huomiota tarkkaan kielen käyttöön. (While reading the rules, one should pay attention to precise language.)

Notes:

- Luettaessa is most natural in written Finnish and in contexts aiming for a formal or neutral tone.

- It is one of several adverbial participial forms that Finnish uses to express concurrent or conditional actions without repeating a subject.

- In everyday speech, speakers more often use active forms like lukiessa or separate subordinate clauses with conjunctions.