Pädevusega

Pädevusega is the instrumental/comitative form of the Estonian noun pädevus, which means competence, capability, authority, or jurisdiction. The base word refers to the capacity to act, make decisions, or hold power in a given domain. The form pädevusega is used to express “with competence” or “by virtue of competence,” and it appears mainly in formal or administrative language.

In Estonian, the suffix -ga (or -ga after certain consonants) marks instruments or accompanying means. Pädevusega therefore conveys the idea that an action is performed with a certain competence, or that something falls under a particular body’s authority. It is common in legal, governmental, and organizational texts to describe the scope of powers, responsibilities, or the resources available to an actor.

Pädevus is also central in education and public administration, where it is used to talk about what a person or institution is capable of or authorized to do. The related adjective pädevuslik or the plural pädevused appear in contexts emphasizing the range of competences or the development of competences as outcomes.

In practice, pädevusega co-occurs with other nouns and adjectives to specify the relationship between an actor and a task, a rule, or a domain. It is widely used in phrases such as “pädevusega seotud küsimused” (issues related to competence) or “organi pädevusega” (within the competence of an organ), reflecting its role in defining authority and capability in Estonian formal discourse.