vähennetään

Vähennetään is a Finnish verb form meaning “is reduced” or “are reduced.” It is the present passive form of the verb vähentää, which means to reduce, decrease, or lessen. In Finnish, the passive voice presents an action without stating the agent performing it, so vähennetään often describes a reduction carried out by unspecified actors or natural processes.

Form and usage: Vähennetään is formed from the stem vähent- with the present passive ending -etään, producing the form that can refer to single or plural subjects depending on context. The same stem appears in related forms such as vähentää (to reduce), vähennys (reduction), and vähentäminen (the act of reducing). Vähennetään is commonly used in formal, technical, or administrative language, including policy, finance, and environmental discussions.

Examples:

- Verotusta vähennetään tänä vuonna. (Taxes are reduced this year.)

- Päästöjä vähennetään tavoitteiden mukaisesti. (Emissions are reduced in accordance with targets.)

- Kustannukset vähennetään budjetin puitteissa. (Costs are reduced within the budget.)

Notes: Unlike the corresponding active form vähennämme (“we reduce”) or vähensivät (“they reduced”), vähennetään does not specify the agent responsible for the reduction. It often appears in reports, official statements, and signaled policy measures to indicate ongoing or mandated reductions.

Etymology and related terms: Vähennetään derives from the verb vähentää, with the noun forms vähennys (reduction) and vähentäminen (the act of reducing). Related adjectives include vähäinen (small, minor) and vähentävä (reducing, subtractive).