Määrätessään

Määrätessään is a Finnish grammatical form, specifically the temporal form of the third infinitive of a verb. It translates roughly to "when determining" or "upon determining." This form is used to express an action that occurs at the same time as, or immediately after, the action of the main verb in the sentence. It is often used in a subordinate clause to indicate a temporal relationship.

The structure of määrätessään involves the verb stem, followed by the suffix -essä- (which indicates the temporal function) and then the possessive suffix -än, referring to the third person singular pronoun "hän" (he/she/it). For example, if the verb is "määrätä" (to determine), the form "määrätessään" means "when he/she/it determines." This can also be extended to plural forms, such as "määrätessään" meaning "when they determine."

This grammatical construction is common in written and spoken Finnish, adding nuance to the expression of time and causality. It allows for a more concise way to link two events, avoiding longer subordinate clauses. For instance, instead of saying "Kun hän määrää, hän tekee päätöksen" (When he determines, he makes a decision), one could say "Määrätessään hän tekee päätöksen" (Upon determining, he makes a decision). The precise meaning can also shift depending on context, sometimes implying a cause or condition as well as time.

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