Inimimestesse

Inimimestesse is an Estonian grammatical form that marks movement into a group of people. It is the illative case in its plural form, used with the plural noun phrase inimeste (genitive plural of inimesed), to express entering into a space occupied by people or into a crowd.

Formation and meaning: The nominative plural is inimesed (people). Its genitive plural is inimeste (of the people). To form the illative plural, the suffix -sse is attached to the genitive plural stem, yielding inimimestesse, meaning into the people or into the group of people. This construction is used with verbs of motion or arrival to convey going into a space defined by a number of people.

Usage: Inimestesse is a valid, standard grammatical form in Estonian, but it is relatively formal and more common in literary or careful prose. In everyday speech, speakers often use alternatives such as inimeste sekka (into the crowd among the people) or other expressions that convey entering a group, depending on context.

Examples: Ta läks inimimestesse. (He went into the people / into the crowd.) In practice, the illative plural is encountered more frequently in written Estonian or in contexts where a precise sense of entering a group is being emphasized; for more natural everyday phrasing, other constructions referring to entering a crowd or joining a group may be used.

Notes: As with other Estonian illative plural forms, inimimestesse reflects standard inflection rules and appears in dictionaries and grammar references as the plural illative form of inimeste.