Pelastamaan

Pelastamaan is the ma-infinitive form of the Finnish verb pelastaa, meaning to save or rescue. It denotes the act of saving someone or something and is used in non-finite clauses to express purpose or intention, as well as in constructions that indicate going to perform the saving. The form is common in written and spoken Finnish when the speaker wants to emphasize the action as an intended or possible act.

Morphology and usage: The -maan/-mään suffix attaches to the verb stem pelast- (from pelastaa), producing pelastamaan. This infinitive is typically used to express purpose with other verbs, for example in phrases like mennä pelastamaan (to go to save) or alkaa pelastamaan (to begin to save). The object of the action appears in the appropriate case, often in partitive or accusative forms such as lasta or ihmisiä. The ma-infinitive is not tense-marked itself; tense is indicated by the finite verb in the surrounding clause.

Examples: Hän lähti pelastamaan lasta tulipalosta. They set out to rescue a child from a fire. Pelastusoperaatio tehtiin pelastaakseen asukkaita ja omaisuutta. The rescue operation was conducted to save residents and property.

Related terms: pelastaa (to save), pelastus (rescue, salvation), pelastaminen (the act of saving), pelastustoimi (rescue operation), pelastajat (rescuers). The ma-infinitive form is a standard tool in Finnish for expressing intent or purpose related to saving actions, and it coexists with finite verb forms that indicate time and mood.