Ihmiset eivät saapuneet paikalle suurin joukoin.
People did not arrive at the scene in large numbers.
Breakdown of Ihmiset eivät saapuneet paikalle suurin joukoin.
ei
no / not (negative verb)
ihminen
human
saapua
to arrive
suuri
large, great
paikka
place
joukko
group (set, crowd, multitude)
Questions & Answers about Ihmiset eivät saapuneet paikalle suurin joukoin.
What does the -in ending do in suurin joukoin?
This is the instructive case. It describes how or by what means an action is done, and it is almost always used in the plural. Joukko means a group or crowd, so the instructive plural joukoin translates to "in numbers" or "by groups".
Why is suurin used here? Doesn't that usually mean "biggest"?
It does mean "biggest" when it is a superlative adjective in the basic nominative case. However, here it is the instructive plural form of the adjective suuri (large). Adjectives must agree with the case of their nouns, so it takes the -in ending to match joukoin. Together they mean "in large numbers".
Why is the verb form saapuneet instead of a regular past tense like saapuivat?
This is the standard negative past tense. To say that a plural subject (ihmiset) "did not arrive", you combine the plural negative verb eivät with the plural past participle of the main verb, which is saapuneet.
Why use the allative case paikalle (onto the place) instead of the illative paikkaan (into the place)?
The phrase saapua paikalle is a very common fixed expression in Finnish meaning "to arrive at the scene" or simply "to show up". While you might arrive physically into a specific building, arriving at a general scene or event usually takes the -lle ending.
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