Mõistatab

Mõistatab is an Estonian verb meaning to puzzle, to pose a riddle, or to mystify. It is used both in literal contexts, when someone presents a question or puzzle, and in figurative contexts, when something or someone is difficult to understand or figure out.

Etymology and form: The verb is derived from the noun mõistatus, meaning a riddle or puzzle, and the verb-forming suffix -ama. The present tense third-person singular form is mõistatab, as in Ta mõistatab mind, meaning He puzzles me or He is perplexing me. The base verb mõistatama covers the act of posing a riddle or creating a puzzle; mõistatab is the conjugated form used with a subject in a sentence.

Usage and nuances: Mõistatab can describe the action of presenting a riddle or challenging question, often in games, education, literature, or puzzle publications. It can also convey that something is baffling or hard to understand, with the subject causing confusion for someone else. The object of mõistatab is typically in the partitive or accusative-like forms in Estonian, such as mind in the sentence Ta mõistatab mind.

Examples: He poses a riddle to me can be rendered as Ta mõistatab mulle mõistatuse. This problem puzzles me translates to See mõistatab mind.

Related terms: Related concepts include mõistatus (riddle) and mõistatused (riddles). The verb mõistatama (to pose riddles or to puzzle) is the broader infinitive form from which mõistatab is derived.

See also: Mõistatus, Mõistatused, Mõistatama.