Editing Finnish grammar (section)

====Second infinitive====
The second infinitive is used to express aspects of actions relating to the '''time''' when an action takes place or the '''manner''' in which an action happens.  In equivalent English phrases these time aspects can often be expressed using  "when", "while" or "whilst" and the manner aspects using the word "by" or else the gerund, which is formed by adding "-ing" to English verb to express manner.

It is recognizable by the letter {{lang|fi|e}} in place of the usual {{lang|fi|a}} or {{lang|fi|ä}} as the infinitive marker.  It is only ever used with one of two case makers; the inessive {{lang|fi|ssa/ssä}} indicating '''time''' or the instructive {{lang|fi|n}} indicating '''manner'''. Finnish phrases using the second infinitive can often be rendered in English using the gerund.

The second infinitive is formed by replacing the final {{lang|fi|a/ä}} of the first infinitive with {{lang|fi|e}} then adding the appropriate inflectional ending. If the vowel before the {{lang|fi|a/ä}} is already an {{lang|fi|e}}, this becomes {{lang|fi|i}} (see example from {{lang|fi|lukea}} 'to read').

The cases in which the second infinitive can appear are:

:{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ Second infinitive
|-
! Finnish !! English
|-
! style="background:#efefef;" colspan="2" | Active inessive (while someone is in the act of)
|-
| {{lang|fi|tehdessä}} || 'when doing'
|-
| {{lang|fi|sanoessa}} || 'when saying'
|-
! style="background:#efefef;" colspan="2" | Active inessive + possessive suffix (while themselves in the act of)
|-
| {{lang|fi|lukiessaan}} || 'while he is/was reading'
|-
| {{lang|fi|sanoessasi}} ||'while you are/were saying'
|-
! style="background:#efefef;" colspan="2" | Passive inessive (when or while in the act of something being done)
|-
| {{lang|fi|sanottaessa}} || 'when saying'
|-
| {{lang|fi|tehtäessä}} || 'when doing'
|-
| {{lang|fi|luettaessa}} || 'when reading'
|-
! style="background:#efefef;" colspan="2" | Active instructive (by means of/while in the act of)
|-
| {{lang|fi|tehden}} || 'by doing'
|-
| {{lang|fi|sanoen}} || 'by saying'
|-
| {{lang|fi|lukien}} || 'by reading'
|-
| {{lang|fi|hän tuli itkien huoneeseen}} || 'she came into the room crying'
|}

The inessive form is mostly seen in written forms of language because spoken forms usually express the same idea in longer form using two clauses linked by the word {{lang|fi|kun}} ("when"). The instructive is even rarer and mostly exists nowadays in [[set phrase]]s (for example {{lang|fi|toisin sanoen}} = 'in other words').

If the person performing the action of the verb is the same as the person in the equivalent relative clause, then the verb uses the appropriate personal possessive suffix on the verb for the person. If the person in the main clause is different from that in the relative clause then this is indicated by with the person in the genitive and the verb is unmarked for person.

:{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Second infinitive inessive
! Equivalent {{lang|fi|kun}} phrase
! English translation
|-
| {{lang|fi|ollessani Englannissa kävin monessa pubissa}}
| {{lang|fi|kun olin Englannissa, kävin monessa pubissa}}
| when I was in England, I went into many pubs
|-
| {{lang|fi|ollessaan Englannissa he kävivät monessa pubissa}}
| {{lang|fi|kun he olivat Englannissa, he kävivät monessa pubissa}}
| when they were in England, they went into many pubs
|-
| {{lang|fi|Jaakon ollessa Englannissa Laura meni Espanjaan}}
| {{lang|fi|Kun Jaakko oli Englannissa, Laura meni Espanjaan}}
| when Jaakko was in England, Laura went to Spain
|}