paljon

Paljon is a Finnish adverb and determiner meaning “a lot” or “many.” It functions as a quantifier before nouns and as a degree modifier before adjectives or adverbs. Common uses include paljon rahaa (a lot of money), paljon ihmisiä (many people), and paljon parempi (much better). It also appears in compounds such as paljon nopeampi or paljon suurempi to express a stronger degree. A frequent question form is paljonko, used in Paljonko tämä maksaa?

Grammar and usage: Paljon is invariable and does not take inflection. When it modifies a noun, the noun is in the partitive case, for example, paljon rahaa, paljon vettä, paljon ihmisiä. It can also modify adjectives and adverbs: paljon parempi, paljon nopeammin. In negative clauses the same pattern applies: En juo paljon kahvia.

Usage notes: Paljon is one of the most common Finnish quantifiers and is widely used in both formal and informal language. In standard Finnish, the phrase Paljon kiitoksia is used to express “many thanks.” The nonstandard form paljoa appears in colloquial speech, but standard writing prefers paljon. The intensifier form paljonkin can be used to stress a larger degree, as in se oli paljonkin vaikea (“it was quite difficult”).

Origin and status: Paljon is a native Finnish word and a core part of everyday Finnish expression. It is found across dialects and registers and remains a fundamental tool for quantification and degree expression in the language.