levittäessään

Levittäessään is a Finnish word that functions as a temporal and causal conjunction. It is the temporal present active participle of the verb "levitä," which translates to "to spread," "to diffuse," or "to disseminate." Therefore, "levittäessään" literally means "while spreading" or "as it spreads."

In Finnish grammar, the present active participle ending "-essään" or "-essani/-essasi/-essamme/-essanne" is used when the subject of the participle is the same as the subject of the main clause. This grammatical construction allows for a more concise and fluid expression of simultaneous actions or a cause-and-effect relationship.

For example, in the sentence "Aurinko paistoi lämpimästi levittäessään kultaisia säteitään," the subject of "paistoi" (shone) and "levittäessään" (while spreading) is the same, "aurinko" (the sun). The phrase "levittäessään kultaisia säteitään" describes what the sun was doing while it was shining.

Another common use case involves abstract concepts. If something is happening "levittäessään" its influence, it implies that the spreading is the cause or the concurrent circumstance for the main action. The word effectively connects an action with its process of expansion or propagation. It is a versatile form used to link two related clauses where the subject remains consistent.