Vastatakse

Vastatakse is an Estonian verb form that functions as the present passive of the verb vastama, meaning to answer or to respond. It translates roughly as “is answered” or “is being answered” and is used to describe actions where the doer of the action is unknown or not stated.

Morphology and usage: The form is created from the verb stem vast- with the standard Estonian passive suffix -atakse, yielding vastatakse. In the present tense, vastatakse is used for third-person reference and can denote either singular or plural subjects depending on the context. The passive voice allows impersonal or generalized statements, common in formal writing, instructions, and news reporting.

Examples: Küsimusele vastatakse kiiresti. (The question is answered quickly.) Käesolev küsimus vastatakse kirjalikult. (This question is answered in writing.) Past or future nuances are expressed with other verb forms, but vastatakse itself remains the present passive.

Related forms and notes: The active form is vastama (to answer). The past passive is vastati (it was answered). The past participle is vastatud (answered). In Estonian, the passive often omits the agent, and the subject of the sentence is the thing receiving the action.

Etymology and cognates: Vastatakse derives from the native Estonian verb vastama, which has cognates in other Finnic languages, such as Finnish vastata (to answer). This reflects the shared Finnic roots of Estonian and Finnish.