viittaessa

Viittaessa is a Finnish verbal form, the present active participle of viitata, meaning “to refer” or “to cite.” In Finnish grammar, viittaessa introduces an adverbial participial clause that describes the circumstances under which the action of the main clause takes place. The subject of the participial clause is usually the same as the subject of the main clause, although an explicit reference to a different subject can appear if necessary.

The form is built from the verb stem viitta- plus the participial suffix -essa, yielding viittaessa. It is one of several participial constructions that Finnish uses to express time, condition, or reference without a full subordinate clause. Its close relatives include viittaamalla ("by referring to") and other related forms, which differ in nuance and grammatical function.

Usage: Viittaessa is common in formal written Finnish, such as academic articles, reports, and legal texts. It is used to frame a sentence with a proviso or context: “Viittaessa aiempaan tutkimukseen, …” meaning “With reference to previous research, …” or “When referring to the contract terms, …” In English translations, this is often rendered as “when referring to” or “in reference to.” Some readers prefer to replace it with a finite clause to avoid ambiguity.

Examples:

- Viittaessa tämän luvun säännöksiin, toimittajat voivat varmistaa oikeellisuuden.

- Viittaamalla aiempaan tutkimukseen, artikkeli arvioi ilmiön yhteydet.

See also: viittaus, viittaaminen, viittaava.