pystyessään

Pystyessään is a Finnish word that functions as a temporal conditional. It is the third infinitive of the verb "pystyä," meaning "to be able to" or "to manage." The suffix "-essään" indicates a temporal clause, often translated as "when one is able to," "when one can," or "while being able to."

This grammatical construction expresses a condition related to ability or capacity occurring at a specific time. For example, "Hän soittaa kitaraa pystyessään" translates to "He plays the guitar when he can" or "He plays the guitar when he is able to." The sentence implies that his guitar playing is not constant but happens when circumstances allow for it, due to his ability.

The structure highlights the temporal aspect of the ability. It's not just about possessing the skill, but about the moment when that skill can be exercised. Other similar temporal conditionals in Finnish include forms derived from verbs like "tulla" (to come) and "mennä" (to go), which also utilize the "-essään" suffix to denote a temporal condition. Understanding "pystyessään" is key to grasping nuanced temporal relationships and expressions of ability within Finnish sentences.