Juhtivat

Juhtivat is a present active participle form of the Estonian verb juhtima, meaning to lead or to guide. As a present active participle, it denotes ongoing or characteristic action performed by the subject and functions primarily as a modifier rather than as a finite verb. In Estonian, participles are non-finite forms that can describe nouns or form parts of complex clauses. The participle is derived from the verb stem juht-, with the standard -iv suffix forming the present active participle, and it is inflected to agree with number and case of the modified noun.

In use, juhtivat typically appears in attributive position before a noun to express that the noun has a leading or guiding role, or it can appear in relative clauses to describe ongoing action connected with the main verb. It shares behavior with other participles of the language, including the possibility of combining with auxiliary verbs to form periphrastic tenses or with negation.

The term is mainly of interest to students of Estonian grammar, linguists studying the system of non-finite verb forms, and writers seeking precise descriptive language. It does not constitute a separate lexical item beyond being a grammatical form of juhtima, and its interpretation depends on the surrounding context.

References to Estonian grammar resources on participles and non-finite verb forms can provide further detail on the exact inflection patterns and usage rules.