Saavutettuaan

Saavutettuaan is a Finnish non-finite verb form derived from the verb saavuttaa, meaning to achieve or reach. It is an adverbial participle that expresses that the action of achieving has been completed before the action described in the main clause. In English, it corresponds to having achieved or after achieving.

Use and function

The form is used to link clauses in a concise, formal style and to indicate anteriority in time. It often describes a prerequisite or reason for the main clause, similar to a subordinate clause formed with ennen, kun, or koska in other languages. The subject of the subordinate clause is typically the same as the subject of the main clause, though in Finnish the subject is often implied.

Formation and notes

Saavutettuaan is the past adverbial/ perfect participle form produced from saavuttaa. As a non-finite clause, it does not carry its own finite tense and instead sets up the relationship to the main clause. The construction is common in written Finnish and in formal prose, and it can be replaced in many contexts by a full subordinate clause with a finite verb, such as kun hän oli saavuttanut tavoitteensa.

Example

Saavutettuaan tavoitteensa, hän siirtyi eteenpäin. (Having achieved his goal, he moved on.)

See also

Finnish verb forms, adverbial participles, converb.