Nuorempaa

Nuorempaa is a Finnish word that functions as the partitive singular form of the comparative adjective nuorempi, meaning “younger.” In Finnish, adjectives decline to match the case and number of the nouns they modify, and nuorempaa specifically appears when the noun is in the partitive case or when an indefinite quantity is described.

Usage and examples

Nuorempaa is used with nouns in partitive case or in phrases that express an indefinite amount. For example:

- Kaupungissa on nuorempaa väkeä kuin maaseudulla. (There is younger people in the city than in the countryside.)

- En ole nähnyt nuorempaa vaihtoehtoa. (I haven’t seen a younger option.)

Nuorempaa can also appear in comparative constructions led by kuin (“than”), when the second element is a noun in partitive or an indefinite quantity, though in many everyday sentences the context clarifies the meaning and the form is chosen to fit grammatical case.

Relation to nuorempi

Nuorempaa is distinct from nuorempi, which is the nominative singular form used before a noun in the basic case. The partitive form nuorempaa is primarily a grammatical tool that allows the adjective to agree with a noun in the partitive case, or to describe non-countable or indefinite nouns.

Etymology

The form derives from nuori (young) with the comparative suffix -mpi, combined with the partitive ending -a/-ä, producing nuorempaa. It is a standard feature of Finnish morphology and appears in both written and formal spoken Finnish, though everyday speech often relies on the base comparative with context to convey the same meaning.

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