Töötavatele

Töötavatele is an Estonian grammatical form that arises from the present active participle töötav, which means “working” or “employed.” The sequence töötavatele represents the dative/plural form of this participial adjective, used to refer to a group described by the participle and treated as the indirect object or beneficiary in a sentence. In practice, töötavatele functions as an attributive modifier that can describe a plural noun in contexts where the action or status of work is being directed toward that group, such as “to/for the working people” or “designed for workers.”

In Estonian, participles often take endings that align with the case and number of the nouns they modify. The form töötavatele is typically encountered in formal, administrative, or policy-related language, where it helps specify the intended recipients or targets of measures, programs, or communications. It is more commonly found in phrases that establish purpose or direction, for example, constructions akin to “töötavatele inimestele mõeldud teave” (information intended for working people), where the meaning centers on the group described by the participle.

Related forms include the base participle töötav and its other declined forms in different cases and numbers. The use of töötavatele reflects Estonian’s capacity to create descriptive phrases by combining participial adjectives with noun phrases to convey nuanced meanings about who is involved, affected, or addressed.

See also: töötaja (employee), töökas (diligent), Estonian grammar.