Muuttamassa

Muuttamassa is the present active participle form of the Finnish verb muuttaa, meaning to move or to change. As a participle it denotes an action that is taking place in relation to another event or moment. It is used both in periphrastic constructions with the auxiliary olla (to be) to express ongoing movement and in attributive position to describe a noun.

In predicative use, muuttamassa appears with olla to indicate that someone is in the process of moving. For example: Hän on muuttamassa uuteen asuntoon. This conveys that the person is in the act of moving, often implying ongoing or near-future action. In attributive use, muuttamassa can modify a noun, typically in a phrase such as muuttamassa oleva perhe, meaning “the family that is moving” or “the family in the process of moving.”

Muuttamassa is one form of the present active participle, and it shares its basic meaning with other participle forms derived from muuttaa. The form is commonly contrasted with muuttava, which can function as a more general present active participle meaning “moving” in a broader sense. The choice between them depends on the desired nuance and syntactic position.

Etymologically, muuttamassa is derived from the verb muuttaa, linked to the broader family of Finnish participles formed from motion or change verbs. Related terms include muutos (change) and muuttaminen (the act of moving or relocating; the process of changing).

See also: muuttaa, muuttaminen, muutos, muuttuminen.