keskivertaisiin

Keskivertaisiin is a Finnish term that functions as the illative plural form of the adjective keskivertainen, meaning average or typical. The illative case expresses direction toward or into a group, so keskivertaisiin roughly translates to “into the average people” or “to the average people,” depending on the verb.

Usage notes:

The form is used when referring to the general public as a target or audience in formal or written contexts, such as sociological discussions, studies, or journalism. It is less common in everyday speech, where speakers might use other constructions to express similar ideas.

Related forms:

The corresponding partitive plural form keskivertaisia is used when the group is the object of a non-directional action (for example, as a direct object in a sentence: keskivertaisia ihmisiä). The illative form keskivertaisiin is typically found with verbs that indicate movement toward or direction to the group, such as kohdistua keskivertaisiin or suunnata viesti keskivertaisiin.

Example:

Tutkimus kohdistui keskivertaisiin suomalaisiin. (The study targeted the average Finns / the general Finnish population.)

See also:

Finnish illative case, kesivertainen (the base adjective).