Vastutame

Vastutame is the Estonian verb form meaning “we take responsibility” or “we are responsible.” It is the present tense, first-person plural form of the verb vastutama, which means to be responsible or to take responsibility. In everyday and formal language, vastutame is commonly used to express accountability for actions, outcomes, or duties within a group or organization.

Etymology and grammar: Vastutame is built from the infinitive vastutama, derived from vastutus (responsibility) with the standard verb suffixes of Estonian. The present tense suffix -me marks the first-person plural, so vastutame literally conveys a collective obligation or commitment. The construction is often followed by an object indicating what is being shouldered, typically using phrases like eest (for) to specify accountability, for example vastutame projekti eest or vastutame kliendi rahulolu eest.

Usage: Vastutame appears in corporate statements, project descriptions, and everyday speech to assert ownership and accountability. It is commonly paired with nouns denoting tasks, outcomes, or standards, such as kvaliteedi (quality), tulemus (result), or ohutus (safety). It can be contrasted with vastutust võtma (to take responsibility) and other forms that emphasize different aspects of accountability. In negative or hypothetical contexts, it may be negated as me ei vastuta or used with subjunctive constructions to discuss responsibility boundaries.

Examples:

- Me vastutame projekti lõppstabiilsuse eest.

- Me vastutame kliendi rahulolu tagamise eest.

- Kui midagi läheb valesti, me vastutame oma vea eest.