Päättyessä

Päättyessä is a Finnish grammatical form derived from the verb päättyä, meaning "to end" or "to be finished." It represents a temporal construction used to indicate when something ends and is typically attached to a noun in the genitive to specify what ends. The overall sense is roughly "at the end of" or "upon ending." For example, opintojen päättyessä means "at the end of studies," and kokouksen päättyessä means "as the meeting ends" or "at the end of the meeting."

In use, päättyessä introduces a time clause that describes when the action of the main clause occurs. It is common in formal or written Finnish, such as reports, legal texts, historical narratives, and journalistic prose, where a precise time frame is helpful for clarity. The preceding noun is usually in the genitive, indicating the event or period that ends.

Examples illustrate the construction. "Raportti laadittiin opintojen päättyessä" translates to "The report was prepared at the end of the studies." "Kokouksen päättyessä kaikki kiittivät puheenjohtajaa" means "As the meeting ended, everyone thanked the chair." While the form is most frequent in written Finnish, it can also appear in carefully phrased spoken language when a formal tone is desired.

Notes and alternatives: päättyessä is one way to express a temporal relation tied to the end of something; other Finnish expressions for similar meaning include phrases with "kun" (when) or "lopussa" (at the end). The choice depends on style, formality, and the desired nuance.