Breakdown of Tämä paahto on entistä tummempi.
tämä
this
olla
to be
tumma
dark (in color)
entinen
former
paahto
roast
Questions & Answers about Tämä paahto on entistä tummempi.
Why is "entistä" in the partitive case here?
Entistä is the partitive form of the adjective entinen (former, previous). In Finnish comparatives, the thing you are comparing against is put in the partitive case. So entistä tummempi literally translates to "darker than the former".
Can I use "kuin" (than) to express this instead?
Yes, you can also say tummempi kuin ennen (darker than before). Using entistä right before a comparative is just a very common and elegant way to express that something has become more of a certain quality than it was previously.
Does "entistä" change if the noun is plural?
No, it stays exactly the same. Even though it's an adjective by origin, in this structure it acts as a fixed reference point. If the sentence were plural, only the main noun and the comparative adjective would change: Nämä paahdot ovat entistä tummempia (These roasts are darker than before).
What verb is the noun "paahto" related to?
It comes from the verb paahtaa, which means to roast or to toast. You will frequently see paahto on coffee packaging in Finland, such as tumma paahto (dark roast) or vaalea paahto (light roast).
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