Sillutavad

Sillutavad is an Estonian verb form meaning “they pave.” It is the third-person plural present indicative of the verb sillutada, which refers to laying paving stones or otherwise surfacing a ground area with pavement. The word is commonly used in contexts of construction, road work, urban planning, and municipal projects to describe the action of paving streets, sidewalks, or courtyards. It can also appear in news reports and official notices that describe crews at work or progress on paving projects.

Morphology and usage: sillutada is built from the stem sillut- with the infinitive ending -ta, and the present tense third-person plural suffix -vad, giving sillutavad. This form is used with plural subjects; singular forms follow other person-number combinations (for example, sillutan, sillutad, sillutame, etc.). In addition to literal paving, sillutama can be used metaphorically to mean “to pave the way” for a plan, policy, or development, though more common Estonian idioms may use related constructions to express groundwork or facilitation.

Context and register: The form sillutavad appears in everyday language related to construction schedules, municipal reports, and news about infrastructure projects. It is a standard, neutral term within its domain, without specialized jargon beyond the broader field of road construction and urban maintenance.

See also: sillutis (pavement); sillutustöö (paving work).