Word
Haluan matkustaa mahdollisimman kauas.
Meaning
I want to travel as far away as possible.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Haluan matkustaa mahdollisimman kauas.
matkustaa
to travel
haluta
to want
mahdollisimman
as ... as possible
kauas
far away (direction)
Questions & Answers about Haluan matkustaa mahdollisimman kauas.
Why is kauas in its basic form rather than a superlative, since the sentence means 'as far as possible'?
The word mahdollisimman already brings the 'maximum' or superlative meaning to the phrase. When you use mahdollisimman, the adverb or adjective that follows it usually stays in its basic (positive) form. So, mahdollisimman kauas literally works like 'maximally far'.
What is the exact grammatical structure of the word mahdollisimman?
It is the genitive singular form of mahdollisin, which is the superlative of the adjective mahdollinen (possible). Literally, it translates to 'of the most possible'. In Finnish, this specific genitive superlative form has become a fixed adverb used to express 'as [adjective/adverb] as possible'.
Why use kauas here instead of kaukana?
This is a great refresher on the Finnish dynamic location system. Kaukana means 'far away' in a static sense (where something currently is). Because the verb matkustaa (to travel) indicates movement towards a destination, you must use the dynamic, directional form kauas (to far away).
Could I just use the superlative form kauimmas (furthest) by itself instead of mahdollisimman kauas?