Silloinen

Silloinen is a Finnish adjective meaning “the then” or “that time’s,” used to refer to something that existed or applied at a specific past time. It is commonly found in historical writing, biographies, journalism, and narrative prose to situate statements within a particular period. In English, it is often translated as “the then …,” as in silloinen hallitus (the then government) or silloinen presidentti (the then-president).

Etymology: Silloinen is built from the adverb silloin, meaning “then,” with the common Finnish suffix -oinen that forms adjectives indicating relation to a noun or time. The form thus signals a relationship to a defined past moment or era.

Usage: The word is placed before a noun to indicate a reference to a past period. It emphasizes the temporal context of the noun rather than its present state. It is often used when describing events, offices, or conditions that have since changed. In contrast, tuolloin or silloin can be used more generally to denote “at that time,” but silloinen specifically scales the reference to the particular time frame previously discussed.

Examples:

- Silloinen hallitus päätti uudesta lainsäädännöstä.

- Silloinen tilanne pakotti toimenpiteisiin.

- Hän muisteli silloinen työpaikkansa ja kollegansa.

See also: silloin, tuolloin, sen ajan.