Superlative Ranking: "Toiseksi suurin"
When you want to talk about the "second largest," "third best," or "fourth wealthiest" of something, Finnish uses a consistent structure. Combine an ordinal number in the translative case (-ksi) with a superlative adjective.
Common translative ordinals used for ranking:
| Base Form | Translative Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| toinen | toiseksi | second |
| kolmas | kolmanneksi | third |
| neljäs | neljänneksi | fourth |
| viides | viidenneksi | fifth |
To define the scope of the record—like "the world's" or "Europe's"—start the phrase with a genitive noun (e.g., maailman, Euroopan).
| What is Europe's second largest city by population? | Mikä on Euroopan toiseksi suurin kaupunki väkiluvun mukaan? |
| This desert's surface area is the world's second largest. | Tämän aavikon pinta-ala on maailman toiseksi suurin. |
| China is the world's second largest economy. | Kiina on maailman toiseksi suurin talous. |
Expanding the Ranks: Third, Fourth, and Fifth
The same pattern applies further down the list. Just swap toiseksi for kolmanneksi, neljänneksi, or viidenneksi.
| This country's population is the world's third largest. | Tämän maan väkiluku on maailman kolmanneksi suurin. |
| The country's industry is Europe's third largest. | Maan teollisuus on Euroopan kolmanneksi suurin. |
| Is that woman the city's fourth wealthiest person? | Onko tuo nainen kaupungin neljänneksi varakkain ihminen? |
Unchanging Translative Ordinals
While Finnish adjectives generally agree with their noun, the translative ordinal (toiseksi, kolmanneksi) in this structure acts as an adverb modifying the superlative. It is "frozen" and does not change case.
Notice how the superlative and noun take the partitive case below (because they are the object of the verb), but the ranking word (toiseksi) remains exactly the same.
| Today we are studying the world's second largest mammal. | Tänään tutkimme maailman toiseksi suurinta nisäkästä. |
| He is studying Asia's second largest desert instead of studying mountains. | Hän tutkii Aasian toiseksi suurinta aavikkoa sen sijaan, että hän tutkisi vuoria. |