# 2nd and 3rd Infinitive



## Emanresu

Do these make sense in the following ways, i highlighted the infinivite suffixes in red:

2nd infinitive:

Töimintessani tehdas, suojella sinun pääsi - When/While working at the factory, protect your head

3rd infinitive:

olen seisomasaa asemalla - Iam standing at the station

I hope these make sense im still learning, thanks for your translations


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## dinji

Emanresu said:


> Do these make sense in the following ways, i highlighted the infinivite suffixes in red:
> 
> 2nd infinitive:
> 
> Töimintessani tehdas, suojella sinun pääsi - When/While working at the factory, protect your head


 
_Työskennellessäsi _('while working') _tehtaalla, suojele päätäsi_ (or alternatively _pääsi_?) 

More contextual on a sign would be to say _Oleskellessasi... _'while staying (on the premises of)' or _Liikkuessasi...._ 'While moving around'

The verb you are using looks like a contamination between _toimia_ 'act', from which the noun _toiminta_ 'action' and the noun _työ_ 'work' from which the plural _työt-töitä-töissä_ etc. 

Finnish has vowel harmony so you would typically not see the front vowels ä, ö, y in the same word as back vowels a, o, u (unless in a compound word like _työ-olot_ 'working conditions' or in a recent loan word like _olympialaiset_ 'The olympics'). The vowels in the suffixes mutate according to the stem.
Thus "T*ö*imintess*a*ni" violates this rule.

_Toimiessasi tehtaalla_.... would be correct Finnish as well, but I doubt it would be seen on a sign, like no English sign would say "While functioning/acting in the factory.." if the issue is to ware a helmet



Emanresu said:


> 3rd infinitive:
> 
> olen seisomasaa asemalla - Iam standing at the station


I am standing at the station = _Seison asemalla_

The way you have formulated the sentence, the element of standing is emphasised. The only situation in which I could remotely think of saying such an awkward thing, would be to describe to somebody over the mobile where to look and whom to spot in the crowd, thus emphasising that he/she should be looking for somebody standing up.

_Olen seisomassa asemalla_ = (something like, and just as awkard as) I am at the station, [presently] standing [up]

English is rather peculiar in the way and how widely it uses "is +ing" constructions. In all the languages I know, the default translation from this English construction is most often a finite present, unless some special aspect needs to be emphasised.


PS. Apologies to native Finnish speakers for not resisting the temptation to respond to this thread. Pls. go ahead and correct me, I'm only 90%-99% proficient in Finnish


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## Emanresu

_



Työskennellessäsi 

Click to expand...

_ 
I understand most of what you said. The red part of this word I highlighted, is _Työ__skennella_ the word for working in Finnish_?_

_Thanks!_


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## Hakro

Emanresu said:


> I understand most of what you said. The red part of this word I highlighted, is _Työ__skennella_ the word for working in Finnish_?_
> 
> _Thanks!_


Right, Emanresu!

Työskennellä = to work, to be working


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## Emanresu

> Olen seisomassa asemalla _= (something like, and just as awkard as) I am at the station, [presently] standing [up]_




So if iam on the phone i can use this sentence to say, yes iam standing at the station?


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## Grumpy Old Man

Emanresu said:


> So if iam on the phone i can use this sentence to say, yes iam standing at the station?


It's grammatically correct but I don't think anyone would really use it since you wouldn't be engaged in any real activity if you were just standing. The sentence sounds awkward to me. I would just say: _Seison asemalla._


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## Emanresu

Ok, so the third infinitive is for when the subject is engaged in a serious activity, like driving and reading?


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## dinji

"_Olen syömässä_" ('I am busy eating') would be correct Finnish, if you are interrupted and would explain why you are busy.

In general "_olen +-ssä"_ could often be translated into "I am busy +-ing". Thus _Olen seisomassa_ could also equal 'I am busy standing' (not a very idiomatic thing to say, obviously).


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