Rikollisina

Rikollisina is a Finnish grammatical form meaning “as criminals.” It is the plural essive form of the adjective or noun rikollinen, which means “criminal.” In Finnish, the essive expresses a temporary state or role, and rikollisina specifically indicates being in the role or status of criminals.

Morphology and usage

The essive form with the suffix -ina/-inä is used to describe people or groups in a particular capacity. The singular form is rikollisena (as a criminal), while the plural form is rikollisina (as criminals). The construction is common in sentences that describe actors in a given role, analyses of behavior, or characterizations within legal, political, or criminological contexts. Examples include phrases like “Hän toimi rikollisena” (He acted as a criminal) and “Henkilöt toimivat rikollisina” (The individuals acted as criminals). The form can also appear in noun phrases, such as “rikollisina pidetyt henkilöt” (the persons regarded as criminals).

Related forms

Rikollinen forms a set with other case endings: rikollisena (singular essive), rikollisina (plural essive). The related translative form rikolliseksi means “into a criminal,” and translative plural forms include rikollisiksi (into criminals). The essive is distinct from the nominative plural rikolliset (the criminals) and other cases used in Finnish grammar.

Context and notes

Rikollisina is primarily a grammatical and descriptive term used in linguistic analysis, legal language, or crime discourse. It is not a common everyday expression outside contexts that require specifying a role or state of being as criminals.