Vastustad

Vastustad is the second-person singular present tense form of the Estonian verb vastustama, meaning to resist or oppose. It is used with the subject sa (you) to express that someone opposes something, such as a proposal, idea, or action.

Etymology and morphology: Vastustama is formed from vastu- meaning against, combined with the infinitive suffix -ma to create a verb meaning to oppose. In present tense, the standard forms are ma vastustan (I oppose), sa vastustad (you oppose), ta vastustab (he/she opposes), me vastustame (we oppose), te vastutate (you oppose, plural), nad vastustavad (they oppose). The word vastustad thus functions as a finite verb form used with the second-person singular subject.

Usage: The verb is common in formal and informal debate, politics, sports commentary, and everyday discourse whenever someone expresses opposition or resistance to a proposal, plan, or statement. It often appears with direct objects such as a eelnõu (proposal), idee (idea), or otsus (decision). The negative form is ei vastusta, as in “Ta ei vastusta ettepanekut” (He does not oppose the proposal).

Related terms: The noun vastustaja means opponent or adversary, referring to a person who opposes. The prefix or preposition vastu appears in several related expressions, such as vastu võtmine (to take a stand against).

See also: vastustaja; vastu; vastustama.