Breakdown of Osaaminen on tärkeämpää kuin pätevyys.
olla
to be
tärkeä
important
kuin
than / like / as (also in "before …")
pätevyys
qualification
Questions & Answers about Osaaminen on tärkeämpää kuin pätevyys.
Why is the comparative adjective tärkeämpää in the partitive case instead of the nominative tärkeämpi?
When a sentence follows the 'A is B' structure and the subject is an abstract, uncountable concept like osaaminen (competence), the describing adjective must be in the partitive case. That is why we use the partitive comparative tärkeämpää instead of the basic nominative tärkeämpi.
Could I drop the word kuin and use the partitive case for comparison here?
Yes! You can replace kuin (than) by putting the compared word in the partitive case. You could say Osaaminen on pätevyyttä tärkeämpää. Both forms are perfectly correct, though using kuin is often easier to read when the adjective is already in the partitive case.
How is the word osaaminen formed?
It is built from the verb osata (to know how to do, to be able to). By adding the -minen suffix, you turn the verb into a noun. It works a lot like adding '-ing' in English, turning the action of 'knowing how' into the noun 'competence' or 'know-how'.
What is the root of the word pätevyys?
It comes from the adjective pätevä, which means 'competent', 'qualified', or 'valid'. The suffix -yys turns an adjective into a noun, similar to '-ness' or '-ity' in English, giving us pätevyys (a formal qualification or validity).