käsitettäessä

Käsitettäessä is a Finnish non-finite verb form used to express the circumstance under which an action is performed. It roughly corresponds to the idea of “in handling” or “when dealing with” something. The form functions as a participial clause that provides contextual information for the main clause, typically indicating how something should be interpreted, processed, or considered. It is most common in formal and official Finnish, such as legal, administrative, and academic writing, and is less frequent in everyday speech. A typical construction places a noun in the genitive before the participle, for example: tietoja käsitettäessä (when handling data).

In use, käsitettäessä signals the scope or conditions that apply to the main statement. It is often followed by a main clause that states rules, requirements, or considerations relevant to the circumstance described by the participial phrase. The sense can cover handling, processing, or consideration of something, depending on the intended nuance of the verb it derives from.

Examples illustrate its formal character: “Käsitettäessä henkilötietoja on noudatettava tietosuoja-asetuksen vaatimuksia.” and “Käsitettäessä tilannetta on otettava huomioon sekä oikeudelliset että eettiset näkökohdat.” These phrases translate roughly to “When handling personal data, one must comply with the data protection regulation” and “In considering the situation, both legal and ethical factors must be taken into account.”

Käsitettäessä is often contrasted with more everyday expressions such as käsittelyssä (in processing) or käsittelyyn liittyen (in connection with processing). It remains a specialized tool for precise, formal discourse.