Tämän e-kirjan laina-aika on lyhyempi kuin tavallisen kirjan.

The loan period for this e-book is shorter than for a regular book.

Breakdown of Tämän e-kirjan laina-aika on lyhyempi kuin tavallisen kirjan.

• olla: to be
• tämä: this
• kuin: than
• kirja: book
• e-kirja: e-book
• laina-aika: loan period
• lyhyempi: shorter
• tavallinen: regular

Questions & Answers about Tämän e-kirjan laina-aika on lyhyempi kuin tavallisen kirjan.

Why is tämän used instead of tämä?

Tämän is the genitive form of tämä (this). Finnish often marks relationships like “the loan period of this e-book” with the genitive:

• tämä e-kirja = this e-book (basic naming form)
• tämän e-kirjan laina-aika = the loan period of this e-book

So tämän matches the idea “of this”.

Why is it e-kirjan (with -n) and not e-kirja?

For the same reason: e-kirjan is genitive singular of e-kirja. It shows that laina-aika (loan period) belongs to/relates to the e-book:

• e-kirja = an e-book
• e-kirjan laina-aika = the e-book’s loan period / the loan period of the e-book

That final -n is the typical genitive ending in Finnish.

What does the hyphen in e-kirja mean?

In e-kirja, the e- is a prefix meaning electronic (like e-book, e-mail). Finnish commonly writes this with a hyphen:

• e-kirja = e-book
• e-posti = e-mail

It’s mainly a spelling convention to keep the prefix clear.

What is laina-aika, and why does it have a hyphen?

laina-aika is a compound noun:

• laina = loan / borrowing
• aika = time / period So laina-aika = loan period.

The hyphen is often used in Finnish compounds when the first part ends in a vowel and the second begins with the same vowel (here a + a), to make reading clearer: laina-aika.

Why is there on in the sentence?

on is the 3rd person singular present of olla (to be):

• laina-aika on lyhyempi = the loan period is shorter

Finnish doesn’t need a subject pronoun (it) here; the verb form alone is enough.

How does lyhyempi work grammatically?

lyhyempi is the comparative form of the adjective lyhyt (short):

• lyhyt = short
• lyhyempi = shorter

Finnish commonly forms comparatives with -mpi/-mpi (with stem changes depending on the word). Here lyhyt → lyhye- + mpi.

What is the role of kuin?

kuin means than in comparisons:

• lyhyempi kuin X = shorter than X
• kalliimpi kuin X = more expensive than X

So lyhyempi kuin tavallisen kirjan = shorter than (that of) a regular book.

Why is it tavallisen kirjan and not tavallinen kirja?

Because the comparison is really between loan periods, even though the second one is left implicit. Finnish uses the genitive to express “(the loan period) of a regular book”:

• Full form: … lyhyempi kuin tavallisen kirjan laina-aika.
• Shortened (what you have): … lyhyempi kuin tavallisen kirjan.

So tavallisen kirjan = of a regular book (genitive), with laina-aika understood.

Why does tavallinen become tavallisen?

tavallinen (ordinary/regular) is an adjective, and it must match the noun’s case. Since kirjan is genitive, the adjective also goes genitive:

• tavallinen kirja = a regular book (nominative)
• tavallisen kirjan = of a regular book (genitive)

The genitive ending is -n, but many adjectives like tavallinen form the genitive as tavallise + n → tavallisen.

Could the word order be different, or is this the only natural way?

This is a very natural neutral word order: [possessor/genitive + noun] + on + adjective + kuin + comparison.

Some variation is possible for emphasis, but you’d usually keep the comparison part together. For example, you could say:

• Laina-aika on tämän e-kirjan kohdalla lyhyempi kuin tavallisen kirjan. This adds kohdalla (in the case of) for emphasis/clarity, but the original sentence is already clear and idiomatic.