Puudut

Puudut is a stem used in Estonian language to express the verb family that means to touch or to concern. In standard dictionaries, the infinitive form is puudutada, and the stem puudut- appears across conjugated forms. The stem is also visible in related forms such as puudutan (I touch), puudutad (you touch), puudutab (he/she/it touches), and in the plural forms puudutame, puudutate, puudutavad.

In usage, puudut can occur in both literal and figurative senses. Examples include ma puudutan kätt (I touch the hand) and see puudutab mind (this concerns me). The verb is commonly used to describe physical contact as well as matters that influence or relate to someone or something.

Derivation and related forms include the noun puudutus, meaning touch or contact, as well as puututud (touched, affected) in passive or participial forms. The language also forms various tenses and moods by attaching standard Estonian endings to the puudut- stem.

Notes on scope: Puudut is not typically used as an independent dictionary lemma in everyday language; it functions as the stem within the verb puudutada and its inflected forms. For learners, focusing on the full infinitive puudutada and the key conjugations (ma puudutan, sa puudutad, ta puudutab) provides a practical entry point, while puudutus as a noun broadens the semantic range to include the concept of contact or relevance.

See also: puudutus, puudutada, puutuma (to touch upon or to relate to in some contexts).