säilyttääkseen

Säilyttääkseen is the third infinitive form of the Finnish verb säilyttää, meaning “to preserve” or “to keep.” It is used to express purpose or aim in a non-finite clause, roughly corresponding to the English phrase “in order to preserve” or simply “to preserve.” The form is most common in formal or written language and in contexts where the speaker wants to describe the intended outcome of an action.

Formation and grammar: Säilyttääkseen belongs to the kolmas infinitiivi (third infinitive) of the active voice. It is built from the verb stem and a special inflectional unit that signals purpose. The exact morphology involves an inserted -kse- segment and the infinitive ending, yielding säilyttääkseen. As a non-finite clause element, it does not indicate tense by itself; its temporal relation is inferred from the surrounding context.

Usage and examples: The third infinitive is used to explain the purpose of an action in subordinate clauses. Examples include: “Hän arkistoi asiakirjat säilyttääkseen todistusaineiston.” (“He archived the documents in order to preserve the evidentiary material.”) and “Käsikirjoitus on kirjoitettu säilyttääkseen historiallisen totuuden.” (“The manuscript was written to preserve the historical truth.”) In many cases, säilyttääkseen can replace a full jotta+conjugated verb construction, yielding a more compact, formal style.

Relation to other forms: Säilyttääkseen contrasts with the plain infinitive säilyttää (to preserve) and with nouns such as säilyttäminen (preservation). It is one of several infinitive variants in Finnish used to articulate purpose, along with other non-finite forms and constructions.

See also: Finnish grammar, infinitives, kolmas infinitiivi.