partisiippi

Partisiippi is the term used in Finnish linguistics for the participle, a non-finite form of a verb that can function as an adjective or adverb and participate in the formation of complex verb constructions. The participle carries information about action related to the main verb—such as timing, aspect, or voice—without requiring a finite verb form.

The main categories of partisiippi include the present participle and the past participle, with active and passive varieties in many languages. The present participle typically denotes ongoing or simultaneous action and often modifies a noun, for example, a running stream. The past participle expresses completed action and frequently appears as an adjective (the written report) or as part of perfect or passive constructions in combination with auxiliary verbs.

Usage of partisiippi varies across languages but generally includes attributive use before a noun, predicative use with a linking verb, and the creation of participial phrases that connect clauses compactly. Participles can convey voice (active or passive), aspect, and sometimes aspectual shading, enabling the expression of nuanced relationships between events without additional clauses. In some languages, participles also form relative clauses or serve as adverbs describing manner or time.

Finnish partisiippi forms are inflected and can convey information about voice, aspect, and referent in relation to the modified noun. They are commonly used to create descriptive phrases, to express agency or affectedness, and to build compound verb constructions without finite verbs. The precise forms and functions of partisiippi vary by language, but the general purpose is to pack verbal information into a non-finite form that modifies nouns or links clauses.