Ostja

Ostja is an Estonian noun meaning "buyer" or "customer." It designates the party in a sale who purchases goods or services and is typically responsible for payment; the counterpart is the seller, müüja. The term is widely used in everyday commerce as well as in contracts, invoices, and discussions of consumer rights, procurement, and business-to-business transactions.

Etymology and form: Ostja is formed from the stem ost, meaning "purchase," with the agentive suffix -ja, a productive pattern in Estonian for forming words that denote a doer of an action. It is a gender-neutral, standard term in both written and spoken Estonian.

Usage: An ostja can be a natural person or a legal entity acting as the purchaser. In sentences, it can function as either the subject or the object, for example in contexts like paying an invoice or confirming delivery. In consumer law, the ostja has rights such as receiving conforming goods and remedies for defects, while the seller bears corresponding obligations. In procurement and business contexts, the ostja may issue purchase orders, specify requirements, and negotiate payment terms.

Plural and grammar: The standard plural form is ostjad. The word declines according to Estonian case grammar as a regular -ja noun, used across various legal and commercial texts.

Notes: The term is primarily a formal, technical word in Estonian and is not typically used as a proper name. It should not be confused with any unrelated acronyms or proper nouns that might resemble the spelling in other languages.

See also: Müüja, Leping, Kaubandus, Ost.