vähenemään

Vähenemään is a Finnish verb form, specifically the third infinitive in the illative case. In Finnish grammar, the third infinitive is used to express purpose or the result of an action. The illative case indicates movement into, or into a state of being. Therefore, "vähenemään" literally translates to "to decrease into" or "into decreasing."

This form is commonly used after verbs that denote a tendency, intention, or the beginning of a process. For example, it can follow verbs like "aloittaa" (to begin), "ryhtyä" (to undertake), or "tarkoittaa" (to mean/intend). The meaning of "vähenemään" in these contexts often implies a movement towards a state of reduction or diminishing.

Consider the sentence "Hinta alkoi vähenemään" which means "The price began to decrease." Here, "vähenemään" describes the direction or the state that the price was beginning to move into. Similarly, "Hän päätti ryhtyä vähenemään työmääräänsä" translates to "He decided to undertake decreasing his workload." The illative infinitive conveys the ongoing or intended movement towards the state of having a reduced workload. Understanding this grammatical construction is key to interpreting Finnish sentences involving change or reduction.