väheneb

Väheneb is an Estonian verb meaning to decrease or diminish. It describes a change in which something becomes smaller, fewer, or less intense. Väheneb is the third-person singular present-tense form of the verb vähenema, and it is used with singular subjects. The related noun vähenemine means decrease or reduction.

Usage of väheneb spans many domains, including economics, statistics, ecology, and everyday language. It is used to describe declines in quantities, levels, prices, or activity. In statistical or factual writing, väheneb can signal a downward trend or a sudden drop, and it can be combined with adverbs to indicate tempo or magnitude, such as järsult (sharply) or aeglaselt (slowly).

Examples include: Hind väheneb järsult. (The price decreases sharply.) Elanike arv väheneb. (The population number decreases.) These sentences illustrate how väheneb conveys a process of reduction affecting a subject described in the Estonian sentence.

Etymology and related forms: väheneb comes from the verb vähenema, which expresses the act of becoming smaller. The root vähen- forms nouns such as vähenemine (decrease, reduction) and participates in various derivations describing changes in amount or intensity. The term is common in formal and semi-formal Estonian texts when discussing trends, forecasts, or natural phenomena.

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