Kasutama

Kasutama is an Estonian verb meaning "to use" or "to employ." It is a transitive verb and belongs to the regular -ta class. The infinitive form is kasutama.

In the present tense the forms are: ma kasutan, sa kasutad, ta kasutab, me kasutame, te kasutate, nad kasutavad. The past tense is kasutasin, kasutasid, kasutas, kasutasime, kasutasite, kasutasid. The imperative mood is kasutata! (note: the standard singular imperative is kasuta!, plural/formal is kasutage!). Negative forms are ma ei kasuta, sa ei kasuta, ta ei kasuta, me ei kasuta, te ei kasuta, nad ei kasuta. Future tense is not morphologically distinct in Estonian; future meaning is typically expressed using present tense with time expressions or context.

Kasutama is transitive and takes a direct object, usually in the partitive case for indefinite quantity. For example: Ma kasutan raamatut. Here raamat-u-t is in the partitive form. Objects can also appear in other cases depending on specificity and quantity, as with most Estonian verbs.

Derived forms include kasutanud (active past participle, "having used"), kasutatud (passive past participle, "used"), kasutamine (noun: use or utilization), and kasutaja (user). The noun kasutamine refers to the act or process of using, while kasutaja designates a person who uses something.

Etymology: Kasutama is native Estonian; it has cognates in Finnish, such as käytt-ä/käytt-ä (to use) and käyttö (use), reflecting common Finnic roots for the concept.

See also: kasutus (use/usage), kasutamine (the act of using), kasutaja (user).