Tõstatub

Tõstatub is an Estonian intransitive verb form derived from tõsta (to lift) via the verbal root tõstat-. It primarily means to arise, come up, or emerge, and is used especially for topics, problems, or questions that become relevant in discussion, debate, or writing. The sense is often that something comes to the foreground in a discourse rather than being actively introduced by someone.

In usage, tõstatub describes a situation where a matter appears or is brought into consideration, typically in formal registers such as politics, journalism, public discussion, or scholarly writing. The form is 3rd person singular present, as in teema tõstatub (the topic arises). The verb emphasizes emergence or appearance of an issue rather than deliberate action to introduce it.

A related, more agentive construction is tõstatama, which is transitive and means to raise or bring up a topic, question, or problem by someone. Tõstatub, by contrast, tends to convey that the matter comes to attention within a process or discussion.

Common collocations and contrasts include:

- küssimus tõstatub arutelul (the question arises in the discussion)

- uus problema tõstatub majanduse kontekstis (a new problem arises in the context of the economy)

- esile tõstmine is used for highlighting more actively

See also: esile kerkima, esile tõstma, tõstma.