syttyessä

Syttyessä is a Finnish non-finite verb form derived from the verb syttyä, meaning to catch fire or ignite. It functions as an adverbial participle that introduces a temporal or conditional clause, roughly translating to when/if it catches fire or in case of ignition. The form is created with the stem sytty- plus the suffix -essä (in harmony with vowel patterns). It is invariable with regard to subject and tense; it cannot take person endings and it does not form a separate finite clause.

In usage, syttyessä is common in written Finnish, especially in technical, safety, and instructional texts, where it allows concise linking of events. It can express two related notions: a temporal sense ("when it lights up") and a conditional sense ("in the event that it catches fire"). It contrasts with finite clauses such as kun syttyy ("when it lights up") or jos syttyy ("if it catches fire").

Example: Syttyessä laite sammuu automaattisesti. This sentence means that if the device ignites, it automatically shuts off.

The form should be used when the referent of the -essa clause is understood from context; it does not stand alone as a complete sentence. It is one of several non-finite verb forms in Finnish that enable compact, parallel descriptions in manuals and technical writing.