Alhaisempaa

Alhaisempaa is a Finnish grammatical form, specifically the partitive singular of the comparative adjective alhaisempi, meaning “lower” or “more low.” It is not a separate lexical item, but a surface form used to express comparison or to describe a noun in the partitive case.

In ordinary sentences, alhaisempaa occurs with a noun in the partitive case, forming phrases such as alhaisempaa laatua, meaning “lower quality.” It also appears in comparative clauses, for example Tämä on alhaisempaa laatua kuin tuo, meaning “This is of lower quality than that.” In predicative constructions with the verb olla, the same form can function as a complement: Se on alhaisempaa laatua.

Morphologically, alhaisempaa shows how Finnish adjectives inflect for case in their comparative form. The ending -mpaa marks the partitive singular of the comparative. The base form of the adjective is alhaisempi, and alhaisempaa is the partitive realization of the comparative when a noun is involved, or when the predicate requires a partitive noun phrase.

Nuance and usage notes: alhaisempaa conveys a lower degree or inferior quality, rather than a simple lexical oppness. It is primarily a grammatical form used in written and spoken Finnish to phrase comparisons or indefinite qualities of nouns.

See also: Finnish grammar of adjectives, partitive case, comparative forms.