ylempä

ylempää is a Finnish inflected form of the adjective ylempi, meaning upper or higher. It is the partitive singular form, used when the modified noun is in the partitive case.

In Finnish grammar, adjectives have multiple inflected forms to indicate case and number. ylempää specifically appears when describing a noun that is in the partitive, such as in phrases referring to a portion of something or an indefinite upper area. This form is most often found in descriptive or architectural contexts, where the relative position or level is being specified.

Usage of ylempää is common in descriptions of spatial relations, such as buildings, terrain, or maps, and it can also appear in metaphorical or evaluative expressions to indicate a higher degree or more advanced state. The corresponding forms of the adjective ylempi are used with nouns in other cases, for example ylemmässä kerroksessa meaning “in the upper floor.”

Example: Portaat johtavat ylempää kerrosta, meaning “The stairs lead to the upper floor,” demonstrates the partitive singular modification of ylempi to ylempää.

Etymology and related forms: ylempää is formed from the base adjective ylempi with the Finnish partitive suffix -ä. Related forms include ylempi (positive/comparative root) and other case forms such as ylemmässä (inessive) and ylempään (illative), which are used with nouns in corresponding cases.

See also: ylempi, alempi, kerros, taso.