Comparisons Using the Partitive Case
When comparing two things in Finnish, you can use the word kuin (than). A common and efficient alternative is to drop kuin entirely and put the standard of comparison—the thing you are comparing against—into the partitive case.
This structure typically follows this word order: Subject + on + Partitive Noun + Comparative Adjective
Notice how lehmä (cow) becomes lehmää in the partitive case to mean "than the cow":
| The horse is faster than the cow. | Hevonen on lehmää nopeampi. |
Questions and Negative Comparisons
This comparison structure works exactly the same way in questions. To ask a yes/no question, start the sentence with onko (is):
| Is the cow heavier than the horse? | Onko lehmä hevosta painavampi? |
| The goat is wiser than the sheep. | Vuohi on lammasta viisaampi. |
To make a negative comparison, simply replace on with the negative verb ei ole (is not):
| The pig is not more stubborn than the donkey. | Sika ei ole aasia itsepäisempi. |
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