Just as adjectives compare (iso → isompi → isoin, "big → bigger → biggest"), Finnish adverbs compare too — but with their own endings. "Faster" is not nopeampi (that is the adjective) but nopeammin, and "fastest" is nopeimmin. The two systems run in parallel and must not be mixed: a verb takes the adverb, not the adjective. Getting this right is what separates hän laulaa paremmin ("she sings better") from the wrong hän laulaa parempi.
The pattern: -mmin and -immin
Manner adverbs — the ones ending in -sti — compare by swapping that ending:
- comparative: -mmin ("more —ly")
- superlative: -immin ("most —ly")
| Base adverb | Comparative | Superlative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| nopeasti | nopeammin | nopeimmin | fast → faster → fastest |
| hitaasti | hitaammin | hitaimmin | slowly → more slowly → most slowly |
| kauniisti | kauniimmin | kauneimmin | beautifully → more → most |
| helposti | helpommin | helpoimmin | easily → more → most |
| selvästi | selvemmin | selvimmin | clearly → more → most |
Watch the vowel in the superlative of kauniisti: it is kauneimmin (with -e-), not kauniimmin, exactly mirroring the adjective superlative kaunein. This -mmin/-immin ending is historically the instructive case of the comparative and superlative adjectives — which is why it clicks so neatly onto the same stems — but you can simply treat it as "the adverb comparison ending."
Juokse nopeammin, muuten myöhästymme junasta!
Run faster, or we'll miss the train!
Puhu hitaammin, en pysy perässä.
Speak more slowly, I can't keep up.
Nyt ymmärrän asian selvemmin.
Now I understand the matter more clearly.
The suppletive chains — learn these cold
A handful of the most common adverbs do not follow the pattern at all. They are suppletive: the comparative and superlative come from a different root entirely, just like English good → better → best. These four are worth memorising as fixed chains, because you will use them constantly:
| Base | Comparative | Superlative | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| hyvin | paremmin | parhaiten | well → better → best |
| paljon | enemmän | eniten | much → more → most |
| vähän | vähemmän | vähiten | little → less → least |
| kauan | kauemmin | kauimmin | long (time) → longer → longest |
The first one, hyvin → paremmin → parhaiten, is the model. There is no logical bridge from hyvin to paremmin — you cannot build it from hyvä — so it must be memorised. And note that the superlative is parhaiten, not parhaimmin; this is a genuine irregularity within an already irregular chain.
Hän laulaa paremmin kuin kukaan muu kuorossa.
She sings better than anyone else in the choir.
Nukuin viime yönä paremmin kuin pitkään aikaan.
I slept better last night than in a long time.
Kuka teistä osaa suomea parhaiten?
Which of you knows Finnish best?
Syön nykyään vähemmän lihaa ja enemmän kasviksia.
These days I eat less meat and more vegetables.
Tämä vaihtoehto toimii kaikkein parhaiten.
This option works the very best.
Mind the front vowels and vowel length in the paljon and vähän rows: it is enemmän and vähemmän (front-vowel ä, doubled m), and eniten, vähiten — not enempi or vähempi, which do not exist as adverbs.
Adverb form vs adjective form — the crucial split
English hides this problem because many English words serve as both: "he runs fast" and "a fast car" use the same word. Finnish forces a choice. Compare:
- Hän juoksee *nopeammin. — He runs *faster. (adverb — describes the running)
- Hänellä on *nopeampi auto. — He has a *faster car. (adjective — describes the car)
The same split runs through the suppletive words. "He sings better" needs the adverb paremmin; "he is a better singer" needs the adjective parempi. Keep the paradigms in separate mental boxes — adjective comparison (-mpi / -in) is covered on the comparative and superlative pages, and the irregular adjectives on the irregular comparison page.
Common Mistakes
1. Regularising hyvin to hyvemmin
❌ Laulan nykyään hyvemmin kuin ennen.
Incorrect — there is no form hyvemmin.
✅ Laulan nykyään paremmin kuin ennen.
I sing better now than before.
The comparative of hyvin is the suppletive paremmin. Hyvemmin does not exist.
2. Using the adjective form where the verb needs an adverb
❌ Hän laulaa parempi kuin minä.
Incorrect — parempi is the adjective 'better'.
✅ Hän laulaa paremmin kuin minä.
She sings better than me.
A verb (laulaa) is modified by an adverb (paremmin), never by the adjective parempi.
3. Building paljommin from paljon
❌ Minun pitäisi liikkua paljommin.
Incorrect — paljon does not take the -mmin ending.
✅ Minun pitäisi liikkua enemmän.
I should exercise more.
Paljon is suppletive: its comparative is enemmän, not a regularised paljommin.
4. Confusing the superlative parhaiten with the adjective paras
❌ Hän ui luokan paras.
Incorrect — paras is the adjective 'best (one)'.
✅ Hän ui luokan parhaiten.
He swims the best in the class.
To say someone does something best, use the adverb parhaiten; paras is for being the best thing/person.
Now practice Finnish
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Start learning Finnish→Related Topics
- The Comparative -mpi: 'more'A2 — Finnish builds the comparative with the suffix -mpi on the adjective stem: iso → isompi, vanha → vanhempi, kaunis → kauniimpi, hyvä → parempi.
- Irregular Comparison: hyvä, paras, pitkäA2 — A handful of everyday adjectives compare suppletively and must be memorised: hyvä → parempi → paras, pitkä → pidempi → pisin, uusi → uudempi → uusin.
- Forming Adverbs with -stiA2 — How to build manner adverbs from Finnish adjectives with the suffix -sti (nopea → nopeasti), plus the one high-frequency irregular: hyvä → hyvin.
- The Superlative -in: 'most'A2 — Finnish builds the superlative with the suffix -in on the adjective stem: iso → isoin, vanha → vanhin, kaunis → kaunein, hyvä → paras (best).