Supistumalla

Supistumalla is a Finnish adverbial participle formed from the verb supistua with the suffix -malla. It expresses the manner, means, or condition by which an action occurs, and is commonly translated into English as “by contracting” or “through contraction.” The form belongs to the broader family of Finnish -malla/-mällä adverbial participles, which indicate how something is done or under what circumstances it happens.

Formation and use. Supistumalla is created by attaching -malla to the verb stem, yielding a non-finite clause that accompanies a main clause to specify method or means. It is typically used in written or formal Finnish, including scientific, technical, and descriptive prose, where a process such as a physiological mechanism or a procedural step is being explained. The construction can convey a sense of contemporaneous action in some contexts, but its primary function is to describe the manner of the main action rather than to establish a tight temporal sequence.

Contexts and nuance. In everyday speech, the -malla forms are less frequent and may sound marked or literary. They are useful for precise explanations of processes, methods, or conditions, especially when detailing how something occurs without naming a separate agent. The exact translation into English depends on context and can range from “by contracting” to broader phrases like “through contraction” or “by way of contraction.”

See also: Finnish grammar, adverbial participles, -ma/-mä suffix.