palauttavana

Palauttavana is a Finnish grammatical form derived from the verb palauttaa, meaning to return or restore. It is the essive (state or role) form of the present active participle palauttava, created by adding the essive ending -na/-nä to the participle stem. This form is used to express a temporary state or a role that the subject holds in a given situation.

In use, palauttavana typically functions as an attributive or predicative element, often with the copula olla or in constructions that describe the subject in a certain capacity. It signals that someone or something is acting in the capacity of returning or restoring, rather than performing the action in a general, ongoing sense. The essive form conveys a temporary or contextual role, rather than a permanent characteristic.

Morphology and related forms: The base verb is palauttaa. The present active participle is palauttava (returning, restoring). The essive form that denotes a temporary state or role is palauttavana. Related forms include palautettava, the passive present participle meaning “to be returned” or “that should be returned,” and other participial variants formed from palauttaa with different endings.

Usage notes: Palauttavana is relatively formal and technical, and it occurs more often in written or institutional language—such as legal, administrative, or academic Finnish—than in everyday speech. Its use helps specify that a person or thing functions in the role of returning or restoring within a particular context.

See also: Finnish grammar, present active participle (-va/-vä), essive case (-na/-nä), palauttaa.