Kõnelevaid

Kõnelevaid is an Estonian word form derived from the verb kõnelema, meaning to speak or to talk. It is the present active participle of the verb and its plural partitive form. As a participial adjective, kõnelevaid is used to describe nouns that are performing the action of speaking, similar to the English “speaking.”

In Estonian, present active participles decline like adjectives, with distinct endings for number and case. The base form kõnelev is used to create various inflections, for example: nominative plural kõnelevad (the speaking ones) and partitive plural kõnelevaid (speaking ones in the partitive). The form kõnelevaid specifically marks the plural and partitive case, and it is commonly used when the object of a verb or the measure of extent is in the partitive, as in kõnelevaid inimesi (speaking people, as a direct object of a verb).

Usage notes: kõnelevaid is most often found in descriptive phrases where the emphasis is on the ongoing act of speaking rather than on a completed action. It can function as a modifier attached to a noun, much like a typical Estonian adjective. While not as frequent in everyday speech as simple verbs or nouns, it appears in written prose, journalism, and formal contexts to convey aspect and activity.

See also: Estonian grammar, participles, kõnelema.