vähendasin

Vähendasin is the Estonian first-person singular simple past tense form of the verb vähendada, meaning “I reduced” or “I decreased.” The verb is transitive and is used to indicate that a quantity, level, or degree of something has been lowered, for example costs, risk, or speed. In use, the object often appears in the partitive case when the amount is not definite.

Etymology and form: vähendada is built from the root väh- meaning “little” or “few,” with the standard infinitive suffix -da. Like other Estonian -da verbs, it forms its tenses with suffixes attached to the verb stem. The present tense forms are vähendan, vähendad, vähendab, vähendame, vähendate, vähendavad, while the past tense forms include vähendasin (I reduced) and corresponding forms for other persons (vähendasid, vähendas, vähendasime, vähendasite, vähendasid).

Usage notes: The verb is common in economics, health, environment, and everyday language when describing reductions in quantity, amount, intensity, or risk. The direct object is often in the partitive plural or singular, depending on what is being reduced and whether the amount is definite.

Examples: Ma vähendasin oma kulutusi. Ta vähendas kiirust. Me vähendasime riski. Nad vähendasid oma võlgu.

See also: vähendada.