Pildistavad

Pildistavad is Estonian for the third-person plural present tense form of the verb pildistama, meaning to photograph. It denotes that multiple subjects are taking photographs or are in the act of photographing.

In use, pildistavad governs a direct object in the appropriate case. For example: “Lapsed pildistavad lindu” (The children are photographing a bird) and “Fotograafid pildistavad sündmust” (The photographers are photographing the event). The object is typically in the partitive case in such constructions.

The form is common in everyday speech, journalism, and captions, where it describes ongoing or habitual action by multiple agents. It can be complemented by adverbs to indicate manner or tempo, such as “pildistavad kiiresti” (are photographing quickly) or “pildistavad vaikselt” (are photographing quietly).

Related forms include the present participle pildistav, meaning “photographing,” which can modify a noun, e.g., “pildistav meeskond” (the team that is photographing). The infinitive pildistama denotes the act of photographing in general, while past forms such as pildistanud refer to having photographed.

Notes on usage: Estonian distinguishes number and person in finite verb forms, so pildistavad agrees with its plural subject. As with many Estonian verbs, context determines aspect and mood, but pildistavad itself simply marks present, third-person plural action.