Mennessäni

Mennessäni is a Finnish adverbial participle form derived from the verb mennä, meaning to go or to leave. It is used to express the circumstance under which the action of the main clause occurs, typically translating to “as I was going” or “in my going.” The form is non-finite, and the tense of the action in the main clause is shown by the finite verb rather than by the participle itself.

Formation and relation to other forms: Mennessäni is created by combining the verb stem menn-, the inessive suffix -essä (indicating “in” or “during”), and the first-person singular possessive suffix -ni (my). It is part of a broader set of -essani forms used to form adverbial clauses, such as kuullessani or kirjoittaessani, which express actions occurring at the same time as, or prior to, the main clause action.

Usage and style: This construction is common in written, formal, or literary Finnish and can introduce a clause at the beginning or inside a sentence, usually separated by a comma. It serves to convey concurrent or anterior action relative to the main verb. In everyday speech, speakers more commonly use conjunctions plus a finite verb, such as kun menen or kun menin, or other non-participial alternatives.

Examples:

- Mennessäni kotiin, muistin sulkea ikkunan. (As I was going home, I remembered to close the window.)

- Mennessäni kauppaan, löysin vanhan valokuvan. (On my way to the store, I found an old photograph.)

Notes: There are corresponding forms for other persons (you, he/she, we, etc.), such as mennessäsi or mennessään, reflecting the same participial construction with different possessive suffixes.