Määritellessään

Määritellessään is a Finnish word that translates to "when defining" or "while defining" in English. It is a temporal conjunction that indicates an action or state that occurs simultaneously with the act of defining something. The word is formed by combining the infinitive of the verb "määritellä" (to define) with the associative case of the third infinitive ending "-essään". This grammatical construction is commonly used in Finnish to express concurrent actions.

For example, in the sentence "Määritellessään uutta termiä, tutkija huomasi sen merkityksen", the phrase "määritellessään uutta termiä" means "while defining a new term". The sentence as a whole would translate to "While defining a new term, the researcher noticed its significance." This grammatical structure allows for a more fluid and concise expression of simultaneous events compared to using separate clauses or sentences. It is a characteristic feature of Finnish grammar that contributes to its unique syntax. The concept of "määritellessään" is not unique to Finnish and similar grammatical constructions can be found in other Finno-Ugric languages.