Breakdown of Nainen säikähti niin paljon, että hän melkein pyörtyi.
hän
he / she
nainen
woman
paljon
a lot
niin
so
Questions & Answers about Nainen säikähti niin paljon, että hän melkein pyörtyi.
How does the niin ... että structure work in this sentence?
The phrase niin ... että translates to "so ... that". In this sentence, niin (so) pairs with the adverb paljon (much) to establish the intensity of the startle. The että (that) clause then introduces the direct consequence of that intensity.
Why is there a comma before että when we wouldn't normally use one before "that" in English?
Finnish comma rules are much stricter than English ones. You must always use a comma to separate the main clause from an että clause when both sides contain a conjugated verb. Here, those conjugated verbs are säikähti and pyörtyi.
What type of verb is säikähti?
It comes from the verb säikähtää. The -htää ending often indicates a momentary verb, meaning the action happens suddenly and is over quickly. This is why it translates to "got startled" rather than a continuous state of being afraid.
How does the verb pyörtyä (to faint) become pyörtyi?
To form the past tense, you take the strong stem pyörty-, which is found by dropping the final -ä from the infinitive pyörtyä, and add the past tense marker -i. Since the subject is hän, no further personal ending is added.