liimaamalla

Liimaamalla is the -malla/-mällä form of the Finnish verb liimata, meaning to glue. It is used to express the means or method by which an action is performed, roughly equivalent to the English phrase "by gluing." The form functions as an adverbial participle or verbal noun, and it can introduce a clause that sets the method for the main action or describes how something is done.

In practice, liimaamalla typically appears in sentences to indicate gluing as the means of attachment or assembly. For example, Palat liimattiin yhteen liimaamalla. translates to “The pieces were glued together by gluing.” Another common usage is to introduce a method in a clause that explains how a result is achieved, such as Liimaamalla levyt yhteen, rakennelma pysyi vahvana, meaning “By gluing the sheets together, the structure stayed strong.” The form is versatile in both spoken and written Finnish, especially in contexts like crafts, DIY, construction, and technical descriptions.

Grammatically, liimaamalla is a participial form built from liimata with the -malla/-mällä suffix, which signals means or manner. It can function within a larger sentence as an adjunct describing how something is done, and it can be used with various noun phrases to specify the items involved in the gluing action. It is closely related to related forms such as liimaus (gluing, the act) and liimattu (glued, the participle/adjective).

Etymology traces the word to liima (glue) plus the instrumental suffix -malla/-mällä. Its usage remains common in descriptive writing and practical instructions.