Breakdown of Uusi jarru on turvallisempi kuin vanha jarru.
olla
to be
vanha
old
uusi
new
turvallinen
safe
kuin
than / before (in 'ennen kuin') / like / as
jarru
brake
Questions & Answers about Uusi jarru on turvallisempi kuin vanha jarru.
How is the word kuin used to mean "than" in this sentence?
When comparing two things, kuin acts exactly like the English word "than". You put it right after the comparative adjective (turvallisempi). The word following kuin takes the same grammatical case as the thing it is being compared to. Because uusi jarru is in the basic nominative form, vanha jarru is also in the nominative form.
Why does the word for "safer" end in -sempi instead of just -mpi?
The base dictionary word for "safe" is turvallinen. Whenever an adjective ends in -nen, you must swap that ending for -se- before you can attach the comparative ending -mpi. So, turvallinen becomes turvallisempi.
Do we have to repeat the word jarru at the end of the sentence?
No, it is not mandatory. Just like in English, you can drop the second noun to avoid repetition. You can simply say Uusi jarru on turvallisempi kuin vanha, which means "The new brake is safer than the old one".
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