varttamalla

Varttamalla is a Finnish adverbial participle form that, in standard usage, would express the means by which an action is performed, roughly translating to “by guarding” or “by watching.” It is formed with the -malla suffix added to a verb stem, a classroom example of the Finnish means-construction that parallels forms like lukemalla (by reading) or kirjoittamalla (by writing). In everyday Finnish, however, varttamalla is not a common or widely attested form; its meaning and usefulness are mainly discussed in linguistic or grammatic contexts as an illustration of the -malla/-mällä participial family and the flexibility of Finnish verb-derived adverbials.

Linguistic notes on formation and usage indicate that varttamalla would be derived from a hypothetical or dialectal verb stem related to guarding or watching. Because the most common Finnish verb for guarding is vartioida, the standard means-building form is vartioimalla (by guarding). Varttamalla, by contrast, is rare and not part of contemporary standard Finnish, though it may appear in experimental writing, linguistic analysis, or discussions of historical or regional variation. Its presence in texts would typically be cited as an example of an unconventional or creative use of the -malla construction rather than as a normative form.

Overall, varttamalla serves as a reference point for understanding the range and boundaries of Finnish adverbial participles. It illustrates how the language can construct “by doing” phrases, while also highlighting that not all theoretically possible forms attain widespread or standard status. See also Finnish grammar, the -malla/-mällä participial forms, and the standard guarding verb vartioida for comparison.