Tarjoamansa

Tarjoamansa is a Finnish linguistic term describing a specific non-finite relative participial form derived from the verb tarjota, meaning "to offer." The form consists of the present-active participle tarjoama combined with the third-person possessive suffix -nsa (or -nsä, depending on vowel harmony), producing a noun phrase that means "the thing offered by someone" or more simply "the offered item." It is used to refer to an object or action that has been offered by a known subject within a sentence.

Usage and meaning. In practice, tarjoamansa appears before a noun, attaching to the noun to specify that the noun is what the subject offered. For example, Tarjoamansa kahvi translates as "the coffee that he offered" (or "the coffee his offer brought"). The possessive suffix marks the actor who performed the offering, and the construction can convey nuanced spatial or relational information within a clause.

Grammar notes. The construction functions as a form of nominalized relative clause and is common in written Finnish, particularly in more formal or literary contexts. It is related to other participial constructions using tarjoama with different possessive suffixes to indicate various subjects (my-, your-, his-, their-).

Etymology. The term combines tarjoaa (to offer) with tarjoama (present-active participle) and the possessive suffix -nsa/ -nsä, reflecting the agent’s ownership of the offering.

See also. Finnish grammar; participles; relative clauses; noun phrases.