Valvoakseen

Valvoakseen is the third infinitive form of the Finnish verb valvoa, meaning to monitor or supervise. It is a non-finite verb form used to express purpose or intention, roughly corresponding to “in order to supervise” in English. The form is created from the verb stem valvo- with the third infinitive suffix -akseen, yielding valvoakseen.

In usage, valvoakseen appears in subordinate clauses to indicate purpose, typically in more formal or written Finnish. It is often found after verbs that express planned actions, where the aim of the action is stated. For example: Hän meni valvoakseen tilannetta. (He went to monitor the situation.)

Notes on its function: the third infinitive is one of several non-finite verb forms in Finnish and does not carry tense or personal ending by itself. It serves to express a purpose or intention without introducing a new finite clause. In everyday speech, speakers may instead use other constructions to convey similar meanings, such as finite clauses with purpose markers or more colloquial phrasing. Valvoakseen is most common in formal writing, legal-language registers, or historical texts where precise purpose clauses are needed.