Pienentäväksi

Pienentäväksi is a Finnish grammatical form that functions as a translative version of the present active participle of the verb pienentää, meaning to reduce or lessen. The form expresses a change of state toward a smaller size or amount and is used to describe something that is intended to become or be transformed into that smaller state. In practice it appears in noun phrases and clauses where the resulting state is highlighted, often in formal or technical language.

Morphology and usage notes: Pienentäväksi is built from the verb stem pienentä-, the present active participle suffix -vä- (forming pienentävä, “reducing”), and the translative ending -ksi, which marks a transition to a new state. The translative usage typically appears with other words that specify intention or plan, such as tarkoitetut or suunnitellut, creating phrases like pienentäväksi tarkoitetut toimenpiteet (“measures intended to reduce”). The construction is more common in written and official texts than in everyday speech.

Contexts and examples: The form is useful for describing aims, effects, or envisioned outcomes in policy, legal, or administrative writing. For instance, one may encounter: Pienentäväksi tarkoitetut toimenpiteet voivat vähentää kustannuksia. This signals measures designed to result in a smaller cost burden. More generally, pienentäväksi contrasts with expressions like pienentämiseksi (in order to reduce), which is often used in more general or imperative contexts.

See also: related participial and translative forms in Finnish, including pienentävä and the broader pattern of -ksi indicating a change of state.