Määräämällä

Määräämällä is a Finnish non-finite verb form of the verb määrätä, functioning as an adverbial participle (mannerpartisiippi). It expresses the means, method, or instrument by which an action is performed, roughly translating to “by determining,” “by setting,” or “by ordering” in English. The form is used to link actions and to indicate how something is achieved.

Formation and scope: Määräämällä is formed by adding the -malla suffix to the verb stem, yielding a participial clause that denotes manner. It is common in formal or written Finnish and can introduce a subordinate clause that explains the method behind the main action. Like other adverbial participles, it does not require its own subject; the subject is the same as the main clause’s subject in most contexts.

Usage: The adverbial participle is used to specify how an action is carried out, similar to “by doing X” in English. It can appear before or after the main clause, often separated by a comma in written Finnish. It is especially frequent in administrative, legal, or instructional text where methods and procedures are described succinctly.

Examples:

- Hän ratkaisi ongelman määräämällä uuden aikataulun. (He solved the problem by determining a new timetable.)

- Toimenpiteet tehtiin määräämällä sääntöjä uudelleen. (The measures were carried out by setting the rules anew.)

Notes: Määräämällä is one of several Finnish non-finite forms derived from määrätä; others include various participial or infinitival constructions. Its function is primarily to convey method rather than to modify a noun.