One of the Most: Yksi Suurimmista
To say "one of the most" or "one of the best," Finnish uses yksi (one) followed by the elative plural. Because you are singling something out of a larger group, the elative ending (-ista or -istä) acts like the English "out of."
The structure is:
- yksi
- Superlative adjective in the elative plural (e.g., tunnetuimmista, arvostetuimmista)
- Noun in the elative plural (e.g., kriitikoista, annoksista)
Scope words like "in the world" or "of the city" take the genitive case (e.g., maailman, kaupungin) and usually sit right after yksi.
| He is one of the most famous critics in the world. | Hän on yksi maailman tunnetuimmista kriitikoista. |
| This is one of the most esteemed dishes in the city. | Tämä on yksi kaupungin arvostetuimmista annoksista. |
Menu Courses and Agreement
The superlative adjective and the noun must agree in case and number, so both take the -ista/-istä ending. For example, paras alkuruoka (the best starter) becomes parhaista alkuruoista.
| This is one of the restaurant's best starters. | Tämä on yksi ravintolan parhaista alkuruoista. |
| This main course is one of the most delicious dishes. | Tämä pääruoka on yksi herkullisimmista annoksista. |
| It is one of the restaurant's sweetest desserts. | Se on yksi ravintolan makeimmista jälkiruoista. |
Describing Ingredients
Whether describing a full dish or its components, the rule remains the same. Notice how tärkein ainesosa (the most important ingredient) becomes tärkeimmistä ainesosista.
| This is one of the most important ingredients. | Tämä on yksi tärkeimmistä ainesosista. |
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