Mõtlesid

Mõtlesid is an Estonian verb form belonging to the verb mõelda, meaning to think. It is a past tense form in the indicative mood and is used to express that someone thought something in the past. The form mõtlesid can correspond to two different subjects depending on context: second person singular (you thought) or third person plural (they thought). In Estonian, the subject is often explicit in the sentence or recoverable from context, so mõtlesid can appear without an overt subject.

Morphology and usage

Mõtlesid is related to the present tense form mõtlen (I think) and to other past forms like mõtlesin (I thought) and mõtlesime (we thought). The same spelling mõtlesid can appear in sentences with different subjects, which means context is needed to determine who thought what. For example: Sa mõtlesid selle üle. (You thought about it.) Nad mõtlesid, et see oli hea mõte. (They thought that it was a good idea.)

Related forms

The verb mõelda forms into various tenses and persons, including mõtles (he/she thought) and mõtlesite (you all thought). The Estonian verb system uses concise endings to signal tense and person, with verb stems often remaining recognizable across forms.

Etymology and language notes

Mõtlesid derives from mõelda. The word illustrates Estonian verb conjugation patterns in the past tense, where the same form can serve multiple subjects. It is a standard, neutral form found in everyday speech and written text. See also mõelda for the base verb.