vähendad

Vähendad is the second-person singular present tense form of the Estonian verb vähendada, which means to reduce or to lessen. This form indicates that the subject is performing the action of reducing and is addressed directly as “you.” In Estonian present tense, verbs are inflected for person and number, and vähendad belongs to the common pattern for -da verbs. Other present-tense forms of vähendada include vähendan (I reduce), vähendab (he/she reduces), vähendame (we reduce), vähendate (you all reduce), and vähendavad (they reduce).

Usage in Estonian follows the general rule that the verb ending conveys person and number, allowing the subject to be omitted in many sentences. Vähendad is used in contexts such as direct speech, instructions, or descriptions where the speaker refers to a listener who is performing the action of reducing something—costs, risks, quantities, or intensity, among other possibilities.

Etymology and morphology: The infinitive is vähendada, from which the present tense forms are derived through standard derivational patterns for -da verbs. The stem typically appears as vähen- or vähenda- with suffixes added to indicate person and number. This form is part of everyday Estonian grammar and illustrates how verb endings encode the subject without separate pronouns.

See also: Estonian grammar; Estonian verbs; Conjugation patterns for -da verbs.