Predikaattiosanaosana

Predikaattiosanaosana is a Finnish grammatical term that can be translated as "predicative participle" or "participial predicative." It refers to a participle that functions as a predicate in a sentence, meaning it describes the subject. This is distinct from its more common use in forming compound tenses or subordinate clauses.

In Finnish, the most common predicative participles are derived from the active past participle stem. For example, the sentence "Hän on mennyt" translates to "He has gone." Here, "mennyt" is part of the perfect tense. However, in a predicative use, the participle describes a state of being or an action completed by the subject at the time of speaking. Consider "Ovi on avattu" which means "The door is opened." In this sentence, "avattu" (past passive participle) functions predicatively, indicating the state of the door.

Another common construction involves the present active participle. For instance, "Lapsi on juoksemassa" translates to "The child is running." Here, "juoksemassa" (present active in the inessive case) acts as a predicative participle, describing the ongoing action of the subject. These predicative participle constructions are crucial for expressing states, ongoing actions, and completed actions in a predicative manner, adding nuance and specific meaning to Finnish sentences. They often convey a sense of ongoing state or a passively completed action.