Breakdown of Onnellisuus on parempaa kuin raha.
olla
to be
raha
money
kuin
than / like / as (also in "before …")
parempi
better
onnellisuus
the happiness
Questions & Answers about Onnellisuus on parempaa kuin raha.
How is the abstract noun onnellisuus formed?
It comes from the adjective onnellinen (happy). For adjectives ending in -nen, the rule is to drop the -nen and add the suffix -suus. This transforms it into the abstract noun onnellisuus (happiness).
Why is the word for 'better' (parempi) in the partitive case here as parempaa?
In Finnish, when you use the verb olla (to be) to describe an abstract concept or an uncountable noun like onnellisuus, the describing adjective must be in the partitive case. So, we use parempaa instead of the basic nominative form.
How does parempi (better) grammatically change into parempaa?
The adjective parempi is the irregular comparative form of hyvä (good). When you put a comparative word ending in -mpi into the partitive case, the stem changes to -mpa- (or -mpä- depending on vowel harmony) before you add the partitive ending -a.
Why is raha (money) in the nominative case instead of the partitive?
The word kuin (than) directly compares money to happiness. Because the main subject of the sentence, onnellisuus, is in the basic nominative case, raha also stays in the nominative case to balance the comparison.
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