etenemän

Etenemään is a Finnish verb form that functions as the I-infinitive of the verb edetä, which means to move forward, advance, or progress. The I-infinitive form is used in certain periphrastic and purposive constructions and is less common in everyday speech than the basic infinitive. In linguistic descriptions, etenemään is described as the form created by adding the suffix -mään to the verb stem, with phonological adjustments made according to Finnish phonotactics.

In practice, etenemään appears most often in formal, literary, or technical contexts and in grammatical explanations. It is typically contrasted with the A-infinitive form edetä, which serves as the standard, dictionary-style infinitive in many ordinary clauses. The I-infinitive can be found in complex verbal constructions, especially those that convey purpose, intention, or sequential action in combination with auxiliary verbs or other verbal elements. Because of its specialized usage, etenemään is not as widely employed in casual spoken Finnish.

Usage notes and variations: the I-infinitive suffixing system covers many Finnish verbs, and etenemään follows the general pattern of forming an I-infinitive from the stem by adding mään; irregularities depend on the verb’s stem and phonology. Learners typically encounter etenemään in grammar discussions, linguistic descriptions, or examples illustrating Finnish infinitive classes rather than in everyday conversation.

See also: edetä, Finnish infinitives, I-infinitive.