tiedostamalla

Tiedostamalla is a Finnish gerund form of the verb tiedostaa, meaning to realize, become aware of, or acknowledge. As a gerund, tiedostamalla expresses the manner or means by which an action is performed, roughly translating to “by realizing” or “by acknowledging.” It is commonly used in formal or written Finnish to introduce a clause that explains the basis or condition for the main action.

Grammatically, tiedostamalla is formed with the -malla suffix attached to the verb stem tiedost- and functions as an adverbial participle. It often appears at the beginning of a sentence or clause, linking it to the main clause in a way that emphasizes awareness or consideration of information. The subject of tiedostamalla is typically the same as the subject of the main clause, though Finnish syntax allows some flexibility in complex sentences.

Usage examples (Finnish):

- Tiedostamalla riskit, yritys päätti lisätä turvallisuusmenettelyjä. (Having realized the risks, the company decided to increase safety procedures.)

- Tiedostamalla asiakkaiden tarpeet, palvelu voidaan muokata vastaamaan paremmin heidän odotuksiaan. (By realizing the customers’ needs, the service can be tuned to better meet their expectations.)

- Tiedostamalla tämän, opettaja antoi lisäohjeita. (By acknowledging this, the teacher provided additional instructions.)

Etymology and related forms: tiedostaa means “to realize” or “to be aware of,” from which tiedostaminen (realization/awareness as a noun) and related adjectives such as tiedostunut (aware) derive. In practice, tiedostamalla is most at home in policy writing, ethical discussions, and analytical prose where explicit awareness or consideration is foregrounded.