pitkittyä

Pitkittyä is a Finnish intransitive verb meaning "to become prolonged", "to drag on" or "to persist". It is used about events, conditions or processes that last longer than expected or intended, for example negotiations, illnesses or delays.

The word is formed from the adjective pitkä ("long") with the verb-forming suffix -tyä, which creates an inchoative or resultative sense of change of state. Common forms include the infinitive pitkittyä, present pitkittyy, and past pitkittyi; perfect forms are built with olla (on pitkittynyt, oli pitkittynyt).

Pitkittyä appears frequently in both everyday and specialized registers. In medical contexts it describes symptoms or diseases that become chronic (e.g., kipu pitkittyy — "the pain persists" or pitkittyvä infektio — "a prolonged infection"). In administrative or social contexts it is used for delays and drawn-out processes (e.g., neuvottelut pitkittyivät — "the negotiations were prolonged").

Synonyms and related verbs include venyä (to stretch/drag on) and viivästyä (to be delayed), though each has different nuances. An antonym is lyhentyä (to shorten). The verb typically takes subjects inanimate or abstract (tilanne, prosessi, oireet) and commonly occurs with temporal expressions indicating duration or expectation.