Mäletama

Mäletama is an Estonian verb meaning to remember or recall. It is used to denote the act of bringing a memory to mind, whether it concerns a person, an event, a fact, or a memory from the past. The verb is common in everyday speech and can describe both personal memories and the act of remembering something specific.

In usage, mäletama is transitive and typically takes an object that represents what is being remembered. For example, one can say “Ma mäletan seda päeva” (I remember that day) or “Kas sa mäleta mind?” (Do you remember me?). The verb can be negated with “ei mäleta” (does not remember). It is also used in questions and in various tenses in standard Estonian, often mirroring the conjugation patterns of other regular Estonian verbs.

Semantically, mäletama is closely related to memory-related nouns such as mälestus (memory or remembrance) and to forms derived from the same root, including mälestama, a verb used in contexts of recalling or commemorating. In formal or literary Estonian, related terms may appear in discussions of memory, recollection, or remembrance ceremonies, where the nuances between memory and commemoration are expressed through related vocabulary.

Overall, mäletama is a core verb for expressing recall and memory in Estonian, functioning across everyday conversation as well as more reflective or literary contexts.