Learn Hardcore Finnish: Tämä tauko on pidempi kuin yleensä.

Finnish comparatives are formed with the suffix -mpi, usually attached to a stem that may change shape. With adjectives like pitkä (long), two things happen:

The final -ä typically becomes -e- in the comparative stem.
Consonant gradation applies: the strong-grade cluster tk becomes weak d. So pitkä → stem pide- → pidempi (longer). The superlative is irregular too: pisin (longest).

Is pitempi also correct, or must I use pidempi?

Both pidempi and pitempi are correct. Modern standard Finnish tends to prefer pidempi, but pitempi is widely used and accepted in both speech and writing.

How does kuin work here?

Kuin means “than” in comparisons. You use it after a comparative adjective or adverb:

pidempi kuin … (longer than …) In this sentence, the standard of comparison is the adverb yleensä (usually), so you get pidempi kuin yleensä (longer than usual). If the thing after kuin is a noun phrase, it normally appears in the same case it would have otherwise:
Hän on pidempi kuin minä. (He is taller than I am.)
Tämä tauko on pidempi kuin eilinen. (This break is longer than yesterday’s [break].)

Could I say Tämä tauko on tavallista pidempi instead of using kuin yleensä?

Yes. That’s a very natural alternative. Here tavallista is the partitive of tavallinen (usual), and Finnish often marks the “standard of comparison” with the partitive:

Tämä tauko on tavallista pidempi. = This break is longer than usual. Note that yleensä is an adverb, so it can’t take the partitive; you can’t say ✗yleensää. With yleensä you use kuin.

What’s the nuance difference between yleensä, tavallisesti, and normaalisti?

All three can translate “usually,” but:

yleensä: generally, as a rule (broad, default habit or norm).
tavallisesti: ordinarily, in the usual routine (habitual in this specific context).
normaalisti: normally, in a normative/technical sense (often sounds a bit more formal or clinical). All are fine in this sentence: pidempi kuin yleensä/tavallisesti/normaalisti, with slight flavor differences.

Can I drop the verb on and say Tämä tauko pidempi kuin yleensä?

Not in standard Finnish. The copula on (is) is required in full sentences: Tämä tauko on pidempi kuin yleensä. You may see omission in headlines or note-style language, but that’s not standard grammar.

Is Tämä on pidempi tauko kuin yleensä also correct?

Yes. Both are idiomatic:

Tämä tauko on pidempi kuin yleensä. (subject = tämä tauko)
Tämä on pidempi tauko kuin yleensä. (subject = tämä, predicate nominal = pidempi tauko) The second slightly emphasizes the classification “a longer break,” but in most contexts they’re interchangeable.

Does the adjective pidempi agree with tauko in case and number?

Yes. With a singular subject in a simple copula clause, the predicative adjective is nominative singular:

Tämä tauko on pidempi. With a plural subject, you’ll often see the predicative in the partitive plural when describing a non-permanent or comparative property:
Nämä tauot ovat pidempiä (kuin yleensä). Nominative plural (pidemmät) is also possible in some contexts, but pidempiä is very common in comparisons.

Why is there no article like “the” in front of tauko?

Finnish has no articles. Definiteness is expressed through context and determiners. Here Tämä (“this”) already makes it specific: Tämä tauko = “this break.”

What’s the difference between yleensä and yleinen?

yleensä is an adverb: “generally, usually.” That’s what you need after kuin here: kuin yleensä = “than usual.”
yleinen is an adjective: “general, common, usual.” If you wanted “than the usual (one),” you’d use an adjective with a noun, e.g., kuin se tavallinen (tauko).

How do I pronounce the tricky bits, especially kuin and yleensä?

kuin: spelled with an -n; in casual speech it’s often pronounced like [ku] or [kun], but write it as kuin.
yleensä: stress on the first syllable, long ee sound in the middle; y is like French u or German ü; ä is a front “a” (like the vowel in English “cat,” but more fronted). Rough guide: “Y-leehn-sä.”

Can I intensify the comparison, like “much longer than usual”?

Yes, add degree adverbs before the comparative:

paljon pidempi (much longer)
hieman/vähän pidempi (a bit longer) Example: Tämä tauko on paljon pidempi kuin yleensä.

Is there a superlative form related to pidempi that I should know?

Yes. The superlative of pitkä is pisin (longest):

Tämä on pisin tauko. (This is the longest break.) Note the irregular stem change: pitkä → pisin.

I’ve heard people say ku instead of kuin. Is that okay?

That’s common in colloquial speech (especially spoken), but the standard written form is kuin. In formal writing or careful speech, stick with kuin.