vilkkaimpia

Vilkkaimpia is a Finnish adjective-form meaning “the most lively” or “the busiest.” It is the plural partitive form of the superlative adjective vilkkaimmat, which itself comes from the adjective vilkas, meaning lively, active, or busy.

In Finnish, adjectives form the comparative with the suffix -mpi (vilkas → vilkkaampi) and the superlative with -in/-im- endings in various numbers and cases. The nominative plural superlative is vilkkaimmat (the most lively, multiple subjects). When the noun is in the partitive case, the superlative becomes vilkkaimpia (for example, vilkkaimpia kaupunkeja = the most lively cities, as a direct object or in partitive constructions).

Usage and nuance: vilkkaimpia is used to compare groups of things or people and to highlight the utmost level of liveliness or activity within a set. It often appears in descriptive writing, journalism, and everyday speech when emphasizing intensity or crowding, such as in urban life, events, or social groups.

Examples:

- Nominative plural: Nämä kaupungit ovat vilkkaimmat. (These cities are the busiest.)

- Partitive plural: Monet turistit suuntaavat vilkkaimpia kaupunkeja. (Many tourists head to the liveliest cities.)

- Partitive with people: Hän kuuluu vilkkaimpia opiskelijoita luokassaan. (He/She is among the liveliest students in the class.)

Vilkkaimpia thus functions as a grammatical tool to express the peak level of liveliness among a defined set of items.