kunollessaan

Kunollessaan is a Finnish term that appears in discussions of temporal clauses formed with the verb olla (to be). In standard Finnish, this function is normally expressed with the two-word construction kun ollessaan or with related adverbial participle phrases such as nuorena ollessaan. The single-word form "kunollessaan" is not widely recognized as a normative word in contemporary Finnish and is typically encountered only as a typographical variant or in certain literary or historical contexts.

What it expresses

The essential meaning is temporal: it marks the time frame during which a state or action described in the main clause occurs. The participial form ollessaan means “being” or “in the state of being,” and when linked with kun it forms a subordinate clause meaning “when/while being.” The subject of the participle clause is usually the same as the subject of the main clause, unless explicitly changed.

Formation and usage

- Normal usage: kun ollessaan, or phrases like nuorena ollessaan, meaning “when he was” or “while being young.”

- Function: a background or surrounding circumstance for the action in the main clause. It often appears in literary or formal prose.

- Example: Nuorena ollessaan hän asui ulkomailla. = While he was young, he lived abroad.

- For broader stylistic options, writers may also use other adverbial participles such as ollessaan with different modifiers (e.g., vanhana ollessaan).

Orthography

The standard and most common form is two words: kun ollessaan. The fused form kunollessaan is not considered standard Finnish in most grammars and dictionaries, though it may appear in some typographical or historical usages.

See also

Finnish grammar, adverbial participles, temporal clauses.