Tehdäksensä

Tehdäksensä is a Finnish grammatical construction that functions as a purposive infinitive. It is formed by taking the infinitive form of a verb, "tehdä" (to do/make), and adding the suffix "-ksensä". This suffix indicates purpose or intention, essentially translating to "in order to do/make" or "for the purpose of doing/making".

The construction typically follows a main clause that describes an action or state, and the "tehdäksensä" clause explains the reason or goal behind that action or state. For example, "Hän opiskeli ahkerasti tehdäkseen hyvän vaikutuksen" translates to "He studied diligently in order to make a good impression." Here, "opiskeli ahkerasti" is the main action, and "tehdäkseen hyvän vaikutuksen" explains the purpose of his studying.

While "tehdäksensä" specifically uses the verb "tehdä," the "-nsä" suffix for purpose can be appended to other verb infinitives as well, forming similar purposive constructions. However, "tehdäksensä" is a common and illustrative example of this grammatical feature. It highlights a nuanced way in Finnish to express the relationship between an action and its intended outcome. Understanding this construction is key to comprehending the idiomatic use of verbs in Finnish, particularly when expressing motivation or goals.