laajenivat

Laajenivat is the third-person plural past tense form of the Finnish verb laajentua, meaning to expand, broaden, or spread. It is used to describe that multiple subjects or entities increased in size, scope, or influence in the past.

In usage, laajenivat expresses intransitive expansion or spreading, such as geographic growth, the extension of influence, or the broadening of a network or activity. It is typically found with plural subjects, for example: Alueet laajenivat 1990-luvulla teollistumisen myötä (The areas expanded in the 1990s due to industrialization). The form contrasts with singular past forms like laajeni (it expanded) or with the present tense laajentuu (it is expanding).

Etymology and related forms: laajentua stems from laaja (wide) and related root meaning “to become wider.” The related transitive verb laajentaa means “to expand [something], to widen.” Laajenivat shares the same root and expresses the past tense of the intransitive variant.

Other notes: laajenivat is commonly used in reports, statistics, historical descriptions, and analyses that discuss changes in territory, markets, organizations, or influence. While it primarily conveys physical or conceptual growth, it can also describe spreading phenomena such as networks, ideas, or administrative boundaries over time.

See also: laajentua, laajentaa, laajentuminen.