Jutustavad

Jutustavad is the third-person plural present tense form of the Estonian verb jutustama, meaning to tell, narrate, or relate a story. It is used when the subject consists of multiple people who are performing the action of narrating.

The base verb is jutustama, whose related nouns include jutt (a story or tale) and jutustus (a narrative or retelling). The form jutustavad specifically points to a plural subject in the present moment. Other forms include jutustan (I narrate), jutustad (you narrate), jutustab (he/she narrates), and jutustasid (they told).

Usage notes

Jutustama describes the act of storytelling or recounting events, facts, or imaginative content. It can be used in narrative contexts, in reporting what a group of people are saying, or when describing how multiple speakers share a story. The verb commonly appears with clauses introduced by et (that) when reporting content, for example: nad jutustavad, et lugu põhineb tõestisündinud juhtumil (they narrate that the story is based on a true event).

Examples

Nad jutustavad loo. (They tell a story.)

Lapsed jutustavad seiklusliku loo õpetajale. (The children narrate an adventurous tale to the teacher.)

Etymology and relation to related terms

Jutustama derives from jutt (story) with a productive derivational suffix, forming a verb that denotes the action of telling or narrating. Related forms include jutustaja (narrator) and jutustus (narrative or tale).

See also

jutustama, jutt, jutustus, jutustaja, storytelling in Estonian.