Heikentyneissä

Heikentyneissä is a Finnish grammatical form, the inessive plural of the past participle derived from the verb heikentyä (to weaken). It functions as an adjective in the inessive case, describing a plural noun that is in a weakened state or condition. In usage, heikentyneissä typically accompanies a noun in the inessive plural, such as oloissa (conditions) or markkinoissa (markets), to express “in the weakened …” or “in weakened … conditions.”

The term is common in formal, journalistic, and academic Finnish when discussing situations where multiple subjects have become weaker or less robust—for example economies, markets, institutions, or environments. Because it is a participial adjective, it agrees with the number and case of the noun it modifies and is flexible across contexts without changing the core meaning: a shift toward a weaker state rather than a complete disappearance or change of category.

Examples:

- Talous on kehittynyt, mutta heikentyneissä markkinoissa epävarmuus on lisääntynyt. (The economy has improved, but in the weakened markets, uncertainty has increased.)

- Kansainväliset investoinnit ovat vähenemässä heikentyneissä oloissa toimivien yritysten vuoksi. (International investments are declining because of firms operating in weakened conditions.)

- Alueen palvelut ovat heikentyneissä tiloissa, mikä vaikuttaa asukkaiden arkeen. (The region’s services are in weakened conditions, affecting residents’ daily life.)

See also: heikentynyt, heikentäminen, heikentynyt tila (weakened state). In normal prose, the form is chosen to emphasize plurality and a state rather than a discrete entity.