Löydyessään

Löydyessään is a Finnish non-finite verb form used as an adverbial participle. It expresses a temporal relation to the main clause, typically meaning “upon finding” or “when/while finding.” It is used to link a subordinate clause to the main clause and is most common in written Finnish, especially in narrative and formal prose. The subject of the participle is usually the same as the subject of the main clause; if this is not the case, a rephrasing is usually preferred to avoid ambiguity.

Morphology and related forms: The form is built on the verb löytää (to find) and uses the general adverbial participle suffix, here yielding the form -yessään. Thus löydyessään literally conveys a time relation such as “upon finding [it]” or “as [someone] finds.” Finnish has other related participial forms that express similar time relations, including forms used for passive or perfect nuances, and the exact choice can convey subtle differences in aspect or voice. In practice, löydyessään is most typical in written, formal, or literary contexts; in everyday speech, speakers more often use conjunctions or simpler constructions.

Usage notes: Löydyessään can refer to the same subject as the main clause, which keeps the sentence compact and fluid. When the subjects differ, a different construction (for example, a finite clause with a conjunction) is often clearer. The form is part of a broader set of participial constructions in Finnish that enable concise storytelling and descriptive narration. Example sentences include: Löydyessään vanhan kartan, hän sai lisätietoja alueen historiasta; Hän alkoi tutkimuksensa löytäessään uuden todisteen.