Lõpetajad

Lõpetajad is the Estonian plural noun formed from the verb lõpetama, meaning to finish or complete. The word denotes a person who finishes or completes something and is most commonly used to refer to someone who has completed a program, course, or activity. In everyday use, the more specific and common term for someone who has completed schooling or training is typically lõputud? No—correct is kooli lõpetaja or kursuse lõpetaja; lõpetajad can be used in a broader or more general sense to emphasize the act of finishing rather than a formal status. The singular form is lõpetaja, and the plural is lõpetajad.

In education, lõpetajad can appear when discussing groups of people who have completed studies, but the phrase kooli lõpetajad is more common for referring to graduates of a school. Outside educational contexts, lõpetajad is applied to finishers of events, such as a marathon or a specific project, where the emphasis is on having completed the task or course rather than on professional qualifications.

Etymologically, lõpetajad is an agent noun built from the verb lõpetama with the suffix -ja, indicating a person associated with finishing or completing. The term is neutral in tone and widely understood in Estonian, though its usage can vary by context; in many formal contexts, more specific terms like lõpetanud, kursuse lõpetaja, or kooli lõpetaja are preferred to identify the precise kind of completion.

See also: lõpetaja (singular), lõpetamine, lõpetanud.