Istada

Istada is an Estonian verb meaning to sit or to be seated. It is used to describe the act of taking or remaining in a sitting position, typically in relation to a chair, bench, or other seating. The verb is common in everyday speech and appears in a wide range of expressions, from literal seating to figurative uses such as remaining in a place.

Etymology and related forms. Istada comes from the Estonian root ist- connected with sitting. The infinitive form is regular for Estonian verbs of this class, and it yields standard conjugation patterns in present, past, and perfect tenses. Related nouns and adjectives include istumine (the act of sitting) and istuv (sitting, in the sense of a person who is seated).

Conjugation and usage. In the present tense, typical forms include istun, istud, istub, istume, istute, istuvad. Past tense forms include istusin, istusid, istus, istusime, istusite, istusid. The perfect tense uses the auxiliary olema plus the past participle, as in olen istunud, oled istunud, on istunud, oleme istunud, olete istunud, on istunud. Istada is intransitive with a focus on the subject’s position; it can take place in contexts such as sitting down, occupying a seat, or remaining seated during an activity.

Usage notes. Istada is frequently paired with prepositions indicating location (in, on, at a seat) and with verbs of movement or pause. It coexists with related forms like istuma and istuda in some regional or stylistic variants, though istada remains the standard reference form in dictionaries.

See also. Istuma, istuda, istumine, istuv.

References. Estonian grammar resources and dictionaries provide full paradigm tables and usage examples.