Pääpiirteittäin

Pääpiirteittäin is a Finnish word that translates to "in broad outline," "in general terms," or "essentially" in English. It is an adverbial phrase used to indicate that a description or explanation is not exhaustive or detailed but rather covers the main points or the overall picture. When someone uses "pääpiirteittäin," they are signaling that the information provided is a summary or an overview, and that finer details or exceptions might exist but are not being presented at that moment.

For example, if a person is asked to describe a complex event, they might begin their explanation with "Pääpiirteittäin, the situation unfolded as follows..." This indicates that they will provide the most important aspects of the event without getting bogged down in every minor detail. Similarly, in a business context, a report might be summarized "pääpiirteittäin" to give stakeholders a quick understanding of its findings. The phrase emphasizes conciseness and the focus on the most significant elements of a topic. It is a common expression in everyday Finnish conversation and in more formal writing when a high-level understanding is sufficient.