Breakdown of Kilpailijoihin verrattuna meidän pitää myydä enemmän.
me
we
myydä
to sell
pitää
must / have to
enemmän
more (comparative of paljon)
Questions & Answers about Kilpailijoihin verrattuna meidän pitää myydä enemmän.
Why is kilpailijoihin in the illative case here?
The word verrattuna ('compared to') always requires the noun it refers to to be in the illative case (the 'into' case). It dictates the case of the word that comes just before it.
What exactly is the word verrattuna grammatically?
It is built from the verb verrata (to compare). It is the passive past participle form verrattu combined with the essive case ending -na. So, it literally translates to 'as compared'.
Why is the subject meidän in the genitive case instead of the nominative me?
This is a necessity sentence. When using verbs of obligation like pitää or täytyy ('have to' or 'must'), the logical subject must be in the genitive case. The verb pitää also stays frozen in the third-person singular.
Can I put the phrase kilpailijoihin verrattuna at the end of the sentence?
Yes, you can easily say Meidän pitää myydä enemmän kilpailijoihin verrattuna. Putting the comparison at the beginning of the sentence just places the emphasis on the competitors right away, establishing the context before stating what needs to be done.