Tõukama

Tõukama is an Estonian verb meaning to push, shove, or to urge forward. It is used for both physical pushing and figurative urging or prompting. The verb is transitive and typically takes a direct object referring to what is pushed; it can also be combined with directional expressions to indicate the direction or point of contact. In figurative use, it can describe encouraging progress or forcing a process along.

Etymology: The verb derives from the noun tõuk, meaning "a push" or "a shove," with the common Estonian -ama infinitive suffix. It belongs to the large class of Estonian verbs formed from nouns.

Conjugation and forms: As a regular -ama verb, tõukama follows standard Estonian conjugation patterns. The infinitive is tõukama; the verbal noun is tõukamine, meaning "the act of pushing." The language allows both literal and metaphorical uses; past forms and other tenses are built with standard Estonian endings.

Usage notes: The word can appear in phrases such as "tõukama vastu" to indicate pushing against something, and naturally occurs in typical narrative descriptions of actions. The noun "tõukamine" is used when referring to the act of pushing itself.

See also: Estonian language, Estonian verbs, -ama verbs, list of common Estonian verbs.