Päättäen

Päättäen is a non-finite verb form in Finnish derived from the verb päättää, meaning to decide or to determine. It belongs to the class of adverbial or converb participles and is used to introduce a subordinate clause that expresses a circumstance related to the main clause. In English, päättäen is commonly translated as having decided or by deciding.

Form and function: The ending -en marks the adverbial participle. This form does not show person, number, or tense, and it shares the subject with the main clause. It is typically placed at the start of a sentence or clause and is separated from the main clause by a comma. The structure conveys an attendant circumstance, purpose, or a temporal relation, often indicating that the action of the participial clause occurs in connection with the main action.

Usage: Päättäen is most frequent in formal or written Finnish, such as official documents, news reporting, or historical prose. In everyday spoken Finnish, the form is less common and can sound literary or archaic. It provides a concise way to link actions without repeating the subject or using a conjunction plus a finite verb.

Examples:

- Päättäen, että tilanne vaatii lisätoimia, hallitus päätti lykätä päätöksen. (Having decided that the situation requires additional measures, the government decided to postpone the decision.)

- Päättäen, että tilanne on hallinnassa, hän palasi työpisteelleen. (Having decided that the situation is under control, he returned to his workstation.)

See also: adverbial participles in Finnish, converbs, other non-finite forms such as tekemällä or kirjoittaen for related usage.