The Passive Temporal Construction
In the previous lesson, you learned how to say "while doing" using the active temporal construction. When you want to express that "when something is being done"—where the doer is unspecified—you use the passive temporal construction. This replaces a kun (when) clause that uses a passive verb.
The easiest way to form this is to look at the passive past participle (the form ending in -tu/-ty or -ttu/-tty, such as korjattu or asennettu). Simply drop the final -u or -y, and add -aessa or -äessä.
- korjattu (repaired) → korjattaessa (when being repaired)
- asennettu (installed) → asennettaessa (when being installed)
- asfaltoitu (paved) → asfaltoitaessa (when being paved)
Because these sentences usually describe an ongoing background process ("while the street is in the process of being paved"), the object receiving the action is put in the partitive case.
| to pave | asfaltoida |
| When the street is being paved, the speed limit is really low. | Katua asfaltoitaessa nopeusrajoitus on todella matala. |
| When new cables are being installed, the traffic sign directs to the detour. | Uusia kaapeleita asennettaessa liikennemerkki ohjaa kiertotielle. |
Time and Context
The passive temporal construction does not have a built-in tense. It simply shows that the passive action happens at the same time as the main sentence.
If the main sentence is in the present tense, the temporal action is happening now or generally. If the main sentence is in the past tense, the temporal action also happened in the past.
| When traffic signs are being moved, cars use the detour. | Liikennemerkkejä siirrettäessä autot käyttävät kiertotietä. |
| When a new sewer was being built, a pipe broke, which caused danger. | Uutta viemäriä rakennettaessa putki meni rikki, mikä aiheutti vaaran. |
This construction is extremely common when discussing public works, street maintenance, and infrastructure, as the focus is firmly on the work itself rather than the people doing it.
| When a sewer is being dug, mistakes often happen, which causes problems. | Viemäriä kaivettaessa tapahtuu usein virheitä, mikä aiheuttaa ongelmia. |
| When the road is being repaired, you must use the detour. | Tietä korjattaessa täytyy käyttää kiertotietä. |