Mitataessaan

Mitataessaan is a Finnish word that translates to "when measuring" or "upon measuring." It is a grammatical form derived from the verb "mitata," which means "to measure." The "-essaan" ending signifies a participle construction, often used to indicate simultaneous action.

In Finnish grammar, this form is employed to describe an action that occurs concurrently with the main verb of the sentence, specifically in relation to the subject performing the measurement. For instance, "Hän puhui mitatessaan omenan painoa" could be translated as "He spoke while measuring the weight of the apple." The word "mitataessaan" itself is a non-finite verb form, functioning adverbially to add context about the circumstances under which the main action took place.

The precise nuance of "mitataessaan" can sometimes be translated in various ways depending on the surrounding sentence structure and the intended meaning, including phrases like "in the process of measuring," "as he/she measured," or simply "during measurement." It is a common and useful construction in Finnish for expressing a specific temporal relationship between two actions performed by the same subject. The word is not an independent noun or adjective but a verb form with an adverbial function.