Tilattaessa

Tilattaessa is a Finnish adverbial participle form of the verb tilata, meaning to order. It expresses a temporal or conditional circumstance connected to the act of ordering and is roughly equivalent to the English phrases “when ordering” or “upon ordering.” The form appears most often in written Finnish, especially in instructional, technical, or commercial texts, and is less common in casual speech.

In usage, tilattaessa introduces a subordinate clause that sets the condition or timing for the main clause. It functions as a compact way to describe a situation under which the main statement holds, and the subject of tilattaessa is not specified. The construction is flexible: it can begin a sentence or appear within it, depending on style and emphasis.

Examples:

- Tilattaessa tuotetta toimitus kestää kolme arkipäivää. (When ordering the product, delivery takes three business days.)

- Tilattaessa sähköpostitse lähetetään tilausvahvistus. (When ordering, an order confirmation is sent by email.)

- Tilattaessa viime hetken muutokset eivät ole mahdollisia. (Upon ordering, late changes are not possible.)

Note: In everyday spoken Finnish, speakers often use conjunctions like kun tilaat or other simpler clauses instead of tilattaessa. The form remains a recognizable feature in formal, written registers and is commonly found in product pages, manuals, and terms of service.