Sulkeutuessa

Sulkeutuessa is a Finnish non-finite verb form derived from the verb sulkeutua, meaning to close or become closed. It functions as a time adverbial participle (a converb) that marks a simultaneous action with the main clause. The form expresses that something occurs while another action is taking place, and it can be translated roughly as “as it closes” or “when it closes” in English.

Morphology and use: Sulkeutuessa is created by attaching the suffix -essa to the verb stem, here forming sulkeutu- + -essa. As a non-finite form, it has no explicit subject and does not by itself convey tense; the tense is determined by the main verb or the surrounding context. It is commonly used to craft concise, flowing sentences in written Finnish, especially in descriptive or narrative text. It provides a way to indicate simultaneity without using conjunctions like kun or silloin kun.

Examples: Oven sulkeutuessa kuului kova koputus. (A loud knock was heard as the door was closing/as the door closed.) Hän lähti talosta, ovi sulkeutuessa. (He left the house as the door was closing.) These constructions show how sulkeutuessa ties the action of closing to another action in the same moment.

Relation to other forms: Sulkeutuessa is one of several Finnish converbs formed with -essa/-essä to indicate time or manner. It can often be substituted by a clause beginning with kun or kun ovi sulkeutuisi, but the converb form tends to create a tighter, more compact sentence.

In summary, sulkeutuessa is a time-converb used to express concurrent action in Finnish, offering a concise way to describe events as they unfold.