hidastaa

Hidastaa is a Finnish verb meaning to slow down or decelerate. It describes the action of making something decrease its speed or rate. The infinitive form is hidastaa, and the verb is transitive, typically taking a direct object such as speed, pace, or a process. Examples include: Auto hidastaa lähestyessään risteystä (The car slows down as it approaches the intersection) and Lämpötilan lasku hidastaa kemiallista reaktiota (Lower temperature slows down the chemical reaction).

Grammar and conjugation

Hidastaa belongs to the Finnish group of verbs ending in -aa/-ä and is conjugated regularly in present and past tenses. Present tense forms: minä hidastan, sinä hidastat, hän hidastaa, me hidastamme, te hidastatte, he hidastavat. The imperfect (past) forms: minä hidastin, sinä hidastit, hän hidasti, me hidastimme, te hidastitte, he hidastivat. The verb can appear in the present passive as hidastetaan. Infinitive forms include hidastaa (basic form) and the corresponding deverbal nouns such as hidastus (the act of slowing down), hidastuminen (the process of slowing down), and hidastaminen (the act of causing to slow down).

Usage and context

Hidastaa is common in everyday speech, traffic descriptions, and various scientific or technical contexts. In traffic talk one may say auto hidastaa, or hidastaa vauhtia, to indicate reducing speed. In science and engineering, the verb is used to describe processes that decrease rate, such as chemical reactions being slowed by temperature changes or other conditions. Related terms include hidastus (slowing, deceleration) and hidastin (a device that slows down, such as a speed limiter).

Etymology

The word derives from the adjective hidas (slow) with the causative-like suffix -taa, forming a verb that means “to make slow.”