Viilentämään

Viilentämään is the Finnish non-finite form of the verb viilentää, meaning to cool down or chill. It corresponds to a to-infinitive variant used in certain grammatical constructions rather than as a standalone finite verb. The form is built from the verb stem viilentä- plus the suffix -mään, producing viilentämään.

Grammatical usage and function

In Finnish grammar, viilentämään is typically described as an infinitive II (the -maan/-mään form). It is used to express purpose, to modify nouns in attributive phrases, or to appear in contexts where a non-finite verb is required alongside another verb or a nominal element. This form is more common in technical, formal, or written language and is less typical in everyday speech. It can introduce clauses or phrases that indicate what something is meant to do or what it is intended to achieve.

Common contexts

- To express purpose: Laite on suunniteltu viilentämään elintarvikkeet. (The device is designed to cool down foods.)

- In noun phrases: viilentämään tarkoitetut laitteet (devices intended to cool)

- In instructional or descriptive texts: Käytä pakastinta viilentämään juomaa nopeasti. (Use the freezer to cool the drink quickly.)

Related forms

- Viilentää: the basic present active infinitive, meaning “to cool down.”

- Viilentäminen: the gerund or deverbal noun “cooling down.”

- Other -mään infinitives: parallel forms with different stems follow the same grammatical pattern.

Etymology

The form derives from viilentää plus the -mään suffix, a productive combination in Finnish for creating purpose-oriented, non-finite verb forms. This allows speakers to reference the act of cooling down in phrases that do not require a finite verb.