Learn Finnish: Lauma on hyökkäämäisillään.

The base verb is hyökätä (to attack), which is a type 4 verb. First, find the strong vowel stem by conjugating it into the third-person singular: hän hyökkää. Then, attach the fifth infinitive marker -mäisillä- (using front vowels due to vowel harmony) and add the third-person possessive suffix -än to match the subject lauma.

Why does this verb need a possessive suffix at the end?

In Finnish, the fifth infinitive (the 'about to do something' construction) always requires a possessive suffix that matches the subject of the sentence. Even though there is no literal 'ownership' happening, grammatical rules dictate that since lauma is a third-person singular subject ('it'), the verb must take the third-person suffix -än.

Could I use hyökkäämäisillänsä instead of hyökkäämäisillään?

Yes! The third-person possessive suffix has two forms: -nsA and -Vn (a lengthened vowel + n). Hyökkäämäisillänsä and hyökkäämäisillään mean exactly the same thing. The -Vn form (-illään) is much more common in everyday Finnish, but both are grammatically correct.

What kind of groups does lauma refer to?

Lauma is a broad term for a group of animals. Depending on context, it translates to 'pack' (wolves), 'herd' (deer or cattle), or 'flock' (sheep). It can also be used for people, usually in a negative or chaotic sense, much like 'mob' or 'horde' in English.