parasta

Parasta is a Finnish word that functions as the partitive singular form of the superlative adjective paras, meaning “the best.” The base positive form is hyvä (good); the comparative is parempi, and the superlative is paras. Parasta is used when the noun it modifies is in the partitive case or when referring to an indefinite quantity. For example, parasta kahvia means “the best coffee,” and in a sentence like Tämä on parasta mitä tiedän, it means “This is the best I know.”

In predicative use, the form parasta appears in constructions where the quality is described in a partitive sense, such as Se on parasta in some contexts, though more common spoken usage may favor paras in simple praise. The phrase parasta ennen is widely seen on food packaging and translates to “best before” or “best before date,” indicating the period during which the product is at its best.

Parasta is frequent in everyday language, media, and advertising as a superlative claim about quality. Because it is a relative, subjective judgment, its strength depends on context and tone. The word is closely related to other forms of the same adjective, such as paras (the best, nominative form), and is often contrasted with parempi (better) for nuance in comparison.

See also: paras; hyvä; parempi; parasta ennen.