Pädevast

Pädevast is an Estonian grammatical form. It is the elative singular form of the adjective pädev, meaning competent or capable. As an inflected form, pädevast is used when the noun it modifies is in the elative case or when describing something that originates from or is based on competence. In practice, pädevast appears mainly in linguistic analysis, dictionaries, or technical writing; it is uncommon in everyday speech.

Morphology and form: The base adjective pädev takes the elative singular ending, resulting in pädevast. This mirrors how other Estonian adjectives decline in the elative to indicate source, influence, or basis.

Usage: Because Estonian often expresses source or basis through alternative constructions, pädevast tends to be avoided in ordinary prose. More common phrases to convey related meaning include pädevuse alusel (on the basis of competence) or pädevuse tõttu (due to competence). Pädevast may appear in scholarly discussion of inflection or in tightly structured descriptions of language rules.

Examples (fragmentary, for illustration): pädevast otsusest tulenevad nõuded (the requirements arising from a competent decision); pädevast teadmises põhinevad järeldused (conclusions based on competent knowledge). In such contexts, the elative form foregrounds the relation of source or basis tied to competence.

See also: pädevus, Estonian grammar, adjective inflection.