Questions & Answers about Kuinka paljon haluat lyhentää?
Why do we use kuinka paljon here instead of miten paljon?
While both can translate to "how much", kuinka is the natural choice when asking about measurable amounts, degrees, or quantities (like kuinka paljon, kuinka monta, or kuinka pitkä). Miten is better suited for asking about the manner in which something is done, like "in what way".
How is the verb lyhentää related to the word for "short"?
It is built from the adjective lyhyt, meaning "short". Adding the suffix -ntää changes an adjective into a verb that means "to make something [adjective]". So, lyhentää literally means "to make short" or "to shorten".
The English translation says "shorten it". Why is there no word for "it" in the Finnish sentence?
In Finnish, if the object being talked about is completely obvious from the context, it is often simply left out. You don't necessarily need to add an object word like sen or sitä here.
In what everyday situations would I hear this exact sentence?
You will very commonly hear this at a hair salon when the hairdresser asks how much hair to cut off, or at a tailor when getting clothes hemmed. Interestingly, lyhentää is also the verb used in banking for paying down a loan!