Tarvitab

Tarvitab is an Estonian verb meaning to need or to require. It is the third-person singular present tense form of tarvitama, the core verb for need. The verb is transitive and typically takes a complement that names what is needed. In Estonian, complements for tarvitama can appear in the partitive case when the need is indefinite or non-countable, and the exact case can vary with sentence meaning.

Tarvitab is cognate with Finnish tarvita, reflecting the shared Finno-Ugric heritage of the languages. The relationship between the two words highlights parallel developments in need-related vocabulary across closely related languages.

In usage, tarvitab is common in formal and written contexts to express necessity. In everyday speech, speakers often use alternative constructions such as the phrase on vaja to convey a similar meaning, but tarvitab remains the standard verb for “needs” in many written contexts. The related noun tarve means “need” or “requirement,” while vaja is a more general term for necessity that can appear in different syntactic constructions.

Conjugation notes: as an -ma verb, tarvitama forms follow regular patterns, with tarvitab used for the third-person singular present. This supports straightforward composition with objects or clauses that specify what is required.

See also: tarve, vaja, tarvitama, Estonian grammar, Finnish tarvita.