liottamalla

Liottamalla is a Finnish adverbial participle formed from the verb liottaa, meaning to soak or wet through. It expresses the manner in which an action is performed and can be translated roughly as “by soaking” in English. The form is common in instructional, technical, and descriptive texts where the method of preparation or processing is important.

Formation and grammar: The participle is created by adding the suffix -malla to the verb stem liotta-, yielding liottamalla. It functions as an adverbial participle, often appearing with a main verb to indicate the method of the action. For example, in a sentence like “Herneet pehmenivät liottamalla niitä yön yli,” the peas become tender by soaking them overnight. Another typical use is in instructions: “Riisiä kannattaa liottaa ennen keittämistä,” meaning rice should be soaked before cooking.

Usage and context: Liottamalla is frequently found in recipes, gardening guides, and textile or material processing texts where soaking is a preparatory step. It can also appear in more general descriptions of procedures to clarify that soaking is part of the process. The form gives a concise, formal tone and is more common in written instructions than in casual spoken Finnish.

See also: liottaa, liottaminen, the noun form referring to the act of soaking, and other adverbial participles that describe method or manner in Finnish grammar.