Vaatiessaan

Vaatiessaan is a Finnish verb form derived from vaatia, meaning to demand or require. It is an adverbial participle that expresses a concurrent action by the subject of the main clause. The form is used in the third person singular, and the subject of the participial clause is the same as the subject of the main clause. In practice, vaatiessaan translates to “while demanding” or “in demanding.”

The construction is common in written Finnish, including narrative prose and journalism, and is used to link two actions performed by the same subject. It conveys that the demanding occurred during the course of the other action described in the main clause. Because it is a nonfinite clause, vaatiessaan does not introduce a new subject; the subject is understood from context.

Examples:

- Hän puhui luottavaisesti, vaatiessaan oikeuksiaan. (He spoke confidently, while demanding his rights.)

- Hallituksen neuvonantajat kieltäytyivät, vaatiessaan lisätietoja. (The government advisors refused, while demanding additional information.)

- Hän hoiti tehtäviä, vaatiessaan parempaa pääsyä resursseihin. (He carried out the tasks, as he demanded better access to resources.)

Notes:

- The phrase is typically separated from the main clause by a comma when used in the middle of a sentence.

- Vaatiessaan can be replaced by other adverbial participles with different verbs to express similar simultaneous-action nuances, but it retains the specific meaning of “demanding.”

Translations into English vary by context and may use “while demanding,” “as he demanded,” or “in demanding.”