Puhuttamalla

Puhuttamalla is a Finnish verbal adverbial participle that expresses the means or manner by which an action is carried out, roughly corresponding to the English phrase "by speaking" or "by addressing." The form is built with the suffix -malla attached to the verb stem, and it is commonly used to indicate instrumentality or method in accompanying clauses.

In Finnish grammar, -malla forms are used to describe how something is done. Puhuttamalla thus functions as an adverbial modifier that can explain the approach or technique used in a larger sentence. The exact meaning depends on the base verb and the context, and puhuttamalla may carry nuances related to persuasion, communication, or direct address.

Usage examples are often found in narrative or instructional texts. For instance, phrases like "Puhuttamalla kuulijoita hän sai ryhmän mukaan" illustrate how the form signals that the action was achieved by speaking to the audience. The construction is also clear in instructional or rhetorical descriptions, where the speaker explains a method by which involvement or agreement is obtained.

Puhuttamalla is related to other -malla forms such as puhumalla (by speaking) and to nominal forms like puhuttelu (the act or form of addressing someone). It appears primarily in written Finnish and formal descriptions of processes, communication techniques, or rhetorical strategies.