Comparing Present Participles (-va/-vä)
Participles act like adjectives, so they have comparative ("more") and superlative ("most") forms.
For present active participles (ending in -va or -vä), forming the comparative is straightforward. Simply add the suffix -mpi. Unlike some regular adjectives (like vanha → vanhempi), participles keep their final vowel.
- mullistava (revolutionary) → mullistavampi (more revolutionary)
- kestävä (durable) → kestävämpi (more durable)
To form the superlative, drop the final a/ä and add -in.
- vaativa (demanding) → vaativin (most demanding)
| This technology is more revolutionary than the previous one. | Tämä teknologia on mullistavampi kuin aiempi. |
| This is the most demanding simulation, for it tests everything. | Tämä on vaativin simulaatio, sillä se testaa kaiken. |
Comparing Past Participles (-nut/-nyt)
Past active participles (ending in -nut or -nyt) use their vowel stem, which ends in -nee-.
To form the comparative, add -mpi to this stem.
- kokenut (experienced) → kokeneempi (more experienced)
- kehittynyt (advanced) → kehittyneempi (more advanced)
For the superlative, the long vowel shortens to a single e before adding -in, resulting in -nein.
- kokenut → kokenein (most experienced)
- kehittynyt → kehittynein (most advanced)
| The new prototype is more advanced than the old one. | Uusi prototyyppi on kehittyneempi kuin vanha. |
| He is the most experienced engineer in the group. | Hän on ryhmän kokenein insinööri. |
Expressing "Than"
You can express what something is being compared to in two ways: use kuin (than) followed by the nominative case, or drop kuin entirely and put the compared noun into the partitive case.
| The next test flight is more demanding than the earlier ones. | Seuraava koelento on aiempia vaativampi. |
Inflecting Compared Participles
Comparative and superlative participles must agree in case with the nouns they modify. They follow the exact same gradation rules as regular compared adjectives:
- Comparatives use the stems -mpa- or -mma-
- Superlatives use the stems -impa- or -imma-
| We need a more advanced component for the rocket's engine. | Tarvitsemme raketin moottoriin kehittyneemmän komponentin. |
| This innovation made the prototype the most advanced. | Tämä innovaatio teki prototyypin kehittyneimmäksi. |