Suurentuakseen

Suurentuakseen is a Finnish grammatical form that denotes purpose and relates to the verb suurentua, meaning to become larger or to enlarge. The form is the passive infinitive with the purpose suffix -akseen, and it is used to express an intended outcome or goal in subordinate clauses.

Morphology and formation: The base verb suurentua provides the stem for the passive infinitive, and the suffix -akseen marks the infinitive of purpose. Together they create a clause element that can function similarly to English “in order to” or “so that ... may become larger.” The construction is characteristic of Finnish nominal and verb forms that articulate aims within descriptive or technical sentences.

Usage and register: Suurentuakseen appears mainly in formal, technical, or literary Finnish rather than in everyday spoken language. It is commonly found in descriptions of processes, experiments, or planning contexts where enlargement or expansion is explicitly the objective. In more common discourse, speakers often substitute with clauses introduced by jotta or use other phrasing to convey purpose.

Relation to other forms: The -akseen suffix is part of a broader set of purpose-infinitive forms in Finnish, used to describe aims across various verbs, including passive or transitive meanings. For most contemporary speech, speakers may prefer explicit purpose clauses with jotta or other constructions rather than relying on rare or specialized purpose-infinitive forms.

See also: Finnish grammar, infinitive of purpose, passive voice, modal and purpose constructions.

Note: The form is a niche feature of Finnish and may not appear in all standard grammars; its presence reinforces the rich variety of infinitival constructions in the language.