Virtaessa

Virtaessa is a Finnish grammatical term describing the inessive present participle form of the verb virrata, meaning to flow. The form expresses simultaneity and is used to create adverbial participial clauses that describe an action or state occurring at the same time as the main clause. In English this can be rendered as “while flowing” or “in flowing.”

Formation: The inessive participle is formed by attaching the suffix -essa/-essä to the verb stem. For virrata, the stem is virta-, yielding virtaessa. The participle is non-finite and does not carry independent tense; its temporal meaning is supplied by context.

Usage: Virtaessa typically introduces or follows a subordinate clause that describes concurrent action or condition. It is common in descriptive or literary Finnish and is used to convey atmosphere or simultaneity without forming a separate finite clause. It should be distinguished from -va/-vä forms, which describe ongoing action from the subject’s perspective and carry a different nuance.

Example: Joki virtasi nopeasti, virtaessa suurten kivien lomitse. Translation: The river was flowing quickly, as it flowed past the large rocks.

See also: Finnish grammar, participles, inessive.