Põhjustatakse

Põhjustatakse is the present passive form of the Estonian verb põhjustama, meaning to cause. In English it translates roughly as “is caused” or “is being caused.” This form is used to indicate that a result or effect arises from a cause without specifying the agent responsible for the causation.

Grammatical notes: Põhjustatakse belongs to the passive voice and is typically used in formal or impersonal statements. The subject of the sentence is the thing that experiences the causing, while the cause itself can be left unnamed or expressed with a separate phrase. In Estonian, passive constructions like this can place emphasis on the outcome rather than on who or what caused it.

Usage and context: This form is common in scientific, technical, and journalistic writing, where stating relationships of cause and effect in an objective, non-personal manner is preferred. It allows writers to describe events or states where the exact agent is unknown, unimportant, or deliberately suppressed.

Related forms: The active counterpart is põhjustab, meaning “causes.” Other related forms include past passive põhjustati (“was/were caused”) and conditional põhjustataks (“would be caused”). The noun form pöhjus (cause) is connected semantically to the verb, but pöhjustatakse itself is strictly a verbal form.

Example: Kahju põhjusatakse ebasoodsate ilmastikutingimuste tõttu. This sentence demonstrates how a consequence (damage) is described as being caused by a particular set of conditions, without naming a specific actor.