-in

Superlative (-in)

Level 2

The superlative indicates the 'most' or '-est' of something. In Finnish, this is usually formed by adding -in to the adjective's inflectional stem.

How It Works

The superlative is used when comparing three or more items. Finnish uses the -in suffix for almost all adjectives.

1. Formation Rules:

  • If the stem ends in a, ä, or e, the vowel is removed: halpa → halv- + -in = halvin.
  • If the stem ends in o, ö, u, or y, the vowel remains: iso → isoin.
  • If the stem has a long vowel, one vowel is dropped: vapaa → vapain.
  • Adjectives ending in -i: In 'old' Finnish words (like suuri, nuori), the i remains: suurin. In 'new' words or loanwords (like siisti, nätti), the i changes to e: siistein, nätein.
  • Adjectives ending in -is change the stem vowel to e: kaunis (stem kaunii-) → kaunein.
  • Adjectives ending in -nen change to -sin: punainen → punaisin.

2. Consonant Gradation:
The superlative triggers the same grade as the nominative plural. Type A words (ending in a vowel) use the weak grade: halpa → halvin. Type B words (ending in a consonant) use the strong grade: rikas → rikkain.

3. Irregular Forms:
The most important irregular is hyvä (good), which becomes paras (best). Another common one is pitkä (long) → pisin.

4. Inflection:
When adding case endings, the -in changes to an inflectional stem. This stem follows consonant gradation rules:

  • -impa-/-impä- is the strong grade, used in cases like the illative (isoimpaan).
  • -imma-/-immä- is the weak grade, used in cases like the inessive (isoimmassa) or genitive (isoimman).

Examples (6)

  1. Tämä on kaupungin vanhin talo.

    This is the oldest house in the city.

    Word by Word: This is city's oldest house.

    Vanhin is the superlative of vanha (old). The final 'a' is dropped before adding -in.

  2. Hän on ryhmän nuorin opiskelija.

    He/she is the youngest student in the group.

    Word by Word: He/she is group's youngest student.

    Nuorin comes from the 'old' adjective nuori (young). The final 'i' remains unchanged.

  3. Tämä on kaikkein mielenkiintoisin kirja.

    This is the most interesting book of all.

    Word by Word: This is of-all most-interesting book.

    Kaikkein is often added before the superlative to emphasize 'the very most'.

  4. Mikä on Suomen korkein vuori?

    Which is the highest mountain in Finland?

    Word by Word: Which is Finland's highest mountain?

    Korkein is the superlative of korkea (high).

  5. Hän on paras ystäväni.

    He/she is my best friend.

    Word by Word: He/she is best friend-my.

    Paras is the irregular superlative form of hyvä (good).

  6. Tämä on siistein huone.

    This is the neatest room.

    Word by Word: This is neatest room.

    Siistein comes from the 'new' adjective siisti (neat). The final 'i' changes to 'e' before the -in suffix.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting to drop the final vowel 'a', 'ä', or 'e'.

    Tämä on halpain auto.
    Tämä on halvin auto.

    In Finnish, the vowels a, ä, and e must be removed from the stem before adding the superlative -in suffix.

  • Using the wrong stem for adjectives ending in -is.

    Hän on kauniin tyttö.
    Hän on kaunein tyttö.

    Adjectives ending in -is (like kaunis or kallis) change their stem vowel 'i' to 'e' before the superlative ending -in.

  • Using the wrong stem when adding case endings.

    Asun halvinsaa talossa.
    Asun halvimmassa talossa.

    When inflecting the superlative in cases like the inessive, the -in marker changes to -imma-/-impä-.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-inLevel 2Superlative (-in)

Learn This First

To form the superlative in Finnish, you need to understand how adjectives are modified. It is helpful to first learn the comparative form (-mpi) and understand how consonant gradation affects the word stem when suffixes are added. Additionally, vowel harmony is required to ensure the word remains phonetically correct.

Words in This Pattern

-in