Saavutettaessa

Saavutettaessa is a Finnish adverbial participle form derived from the verb saavuttaa, meaning to achieve or attain. The form translates roughly to “upon attainment” or “when achieved” and is used to introduce a subordinate clause that sets the circumstantial context for the main clause. It is a characteristic of formal written Finnish and is commonly found in legal, regulatory, technical, and academic texts. It is less common in casual spoken Finnish.

Formation and function: Saavutettaessa is created by applying the adverbial participle suffix to the verb stem, yielding a non-finite clause that states a condition or time frame. The phrase functions similarly to English “upon achieving” or “as soon as,” providing a temporal or conditional backdrop for the action in the main clause. It is distinct from past passive participles such as saavuttettu or saavutettu, which denote something that has already been attained and can serve as a predicate, whereas saavuttaessa expresses the circumstance around the main action.

Usage notes: The form is particularly typical in legislations, contracts, guidelines, and scientific writing where compact, formal phrasing is valued. It allows the writer to combine related ideas into a single sentence without repeating explicit subjects or conjunctions. In everyday speech, speakers are more likely to use explicit temporal phrases such as “kun saavutetaan” or “kun saavutatte.”

Examples:

- Saavutettaessa tavoitteet voidaan edetä seuraavaan vaiheeseen. (Upon achieving the objectives, one can proceed to the next phase.)

- Saavutettaessa asetetut mittarit, raportointi aloitetaan välittömästi. (Upon attainment of the set metrics, reporting begins immediately.)

See also: Finnish adverbial participles, Finnish grammar, passive and active participles.