Päätettyään

Päätettyään is a Finnish non-finite verb form derived from the verb päättää, meaning to decide. It functions as a perfect adverbial participle, indicating that the action of deciding has been completed before the action described in the main clause. In English, it corresponds to expressions like having decided or after having decided. The form is most common in written Finnish and in formal or literary contexts.

The participle is used to link two clauses and to express temporal sequence. The subordinate clause expressed by päätettyään typically precedes the main clause and is separated by a comma. The subject of both clauses is usually the same, although Finnish allows some flexibility when context makes the reference clear. The construction emphasizes that the decision occurred prior to what is described in the main clause.

Examples:

- Päätettyään asian, hän kertoi päätöksensä. (Having decided the matter, he stated his decision.)

- Päätettyään osallistua kilpailuun, hän harjoitteli ahkerasti. (Having decided to participate in the competition, he trained diligently.)

Päätettyään is one of several adverbial participle forms in Finnish that express anterior action. It is distinct from present or imperfect participles such as päättäen (deciding) and from adjective-like participles formed with -ttu/-tty. In contemporary usage, speakers may replace it with a subordinate clause beginning with kun or kun oli päättänyt, especially in less formal writing. See also Finnish grammar sections on non-finite clauses and adverbial participles.