ostamassa

Ostamassa is a Finnish verbal form derived from the verb ostaa ("to buy"). Grammatically it is the third infinitive in the inessive case (ostama + -ssa/-ssä), and it typically expresses an action that is in progress, imminent, or intended.

Usage commonly involves an auxiliary verb such as olla ("to be") or verbs of motion and intention. For example, Olen ostamassa uutta kirjaa is translated as "I am buying a new book" or "I am in the process of buying a new book," and Menen ostamaan ruokaa ("I am going to buy food") uses the related third infinitive in the illative (ostamaan) to indicate purpose. Ostamassa can also appear without an explicit auxiliary in colloquial contexts to imply ongoing or imminent action.

Meaning and translation vary with context: it can indicate present progressive activity ("is buying"), near-future intention ("about to buy"), or a temporary state of being occupied with buying. Negation and question formation follow normal Finnish syntax (En ole ostamassa — "I am not buying"; Oletko ostamassa? — "Are you buying?").

The form is productive in Finnish morphology and is used with many verbs to form similar progressive or purposive expressions (e.g., tekemässä, lukemassa). Pronunciation can be approximated as "OH-sta-mah-ssah."