Questions & Answers about Uusi saareke on kaksi kertaa kapeampi kuin vanha.
Why does Finnish use the comparative kapeampi (narrower) instead of the basic adjective like in the English phrase "twice as narrow"?
When expressing exact multiples like "twice as" or "three times as", Finnish almost always uses the comparative form of the adjective. So while English uses the basic adjective in "twice as narrow", Finnish literally says "two times narrower" (kaksi kertaa kapeampi).
How would I express this exact same meaning using the partitive fraction structure taught in this lesson?
You could say puolta kapeampi (literally "a half narrower"). Both kaksi kertaa kapeampi (two times narrower) and puolta kapeampi are very natural and interchangeable ways in Finnish to describe something being half the width of something else.
The word saareke looks a lot like saari (island). How are they related?
Saareke is formed by adding the suffix -ke to the stem of saari (saare-). The -ke suffix often creates a smaller version of a noun or a related practical object. While saari is a natural geographical island, saareke is the standard word for a kitchen island, a traffic island, or a very small islet.
Could I drop the word kuin (than) in this comparison?