Learn Finnish: Näiden papujen jälkimaku on entistä pidempi. - The aftertaste of these beans is longer than before.

The word entistä is the partitive form of entinen (former or previous). When placed directly before a comparative adjective like pidempi (longer), it acts as the standard of comparison. Literally, it translates to longer than the former, which is the standard Finnish way to express longer than before.

Could I say pidempi kuin ennen instead of entistä pidempi?

Yes, pidempi kuin ennen is grammatically correct and means the exact same thing. However, using the partitive entistä plus the comparative is a very common, slightly more elegant structure that you will encounter frequently at this level, especially in reviews, news, or marketing.

Why does papujen have a strong p when the singular genitive pavun has a weak v?

This is a tricky consonant gradation rule. For many two-syllable words ending in -u or -y, the singular genitive takes the weak grade (like pavun), but the plural genitive ending in -jen takes the strong grade. This is why the p returns in papujen.

What are the two parts of the compound word jälkimaku?