kahanenud

Kahanenud is an Estonian adjective formed from the verb kahanema, meaning to decrease. It is the past participle form used to describe something that has become smaller, lower, or reduced. The word can function both attributively (kahanenud hinnad) and predicatively (hindade on kahanenud) and agrees with the noun in number and case.

Etymology and form: kahanenud is built from the root kahan- plus the participial suffix -enud, which marks a past state resulting from a reduction. As a participial adjective, it shares behavior with other Estonian participles in terms of inflection and agreement.

Usage: kahanenud is common in economic, statistical, and journalistic contexts, where it describes decreases in value, quantity, or level. Typical collocations include kahanenud hinnad (reduced prices), kahanenud nõudlus (decreased demand), and kahanenud tootmismaht (lower production volume). It can modify a noun directly or appear in a clause to describe a state of affairs.

Grammar notes: Like other adjectives in Estonian, kahanenud agrees with the noun in number and case. In predicate position, it is followed by a form of the verb olema (on/oli) to express a state, e.g., Hinnad on kahanenud. In attributive use, it precedes the noun, e.g., kahanenud hinnad.

See also: kahanema, hinnad, nõudlus, majandus.

The term conveys a neutral descriptive meaning and does not imply causal explanation by itself; it expresses that a quantity or level has decreased relative to a previous point in time.