Valgustati

Valgustati is an Estonian verb form used to express the passive past tense of valgustama, meaning to illuminate or to enlighten. The translation of valgustati depends on the subject, typically rendering as “was illuminated” or “were illuminated.” The form is built from the root valgust- (related to light) and the passive past suffix -ati, a common pattern in Estonian for forming the past passive.

In usage, valgustati can describe both literal lighting and metaphorical enlightenment. Literally, it appears in sentences such as “Tuba valgustati elektrivalgustiga,” meaning the room was illuminated by electric light. Metaphorically, it can convey enlightenment or education, for example “Rahvas valgustati uute ideedega,” meaning the people were enlightened by new ideas. The construction is standard in formal writing and historical narration, but it also occurs in everyday speech.

Valgustati is not a standalone noun; it is a verb form. In written Estonian, it is typically lowercased unless it appears as part of a capitalized name or title in fiction or other special contexts.

See also: valgustama, valgus, valgustus.