Võimekat

Võimekat is an Estonian adjective meaning capable, competent, or resourceful. It is used to describe people, teams, or organizations that display ability, effectiveness, and skill in performing tasks. In standard usage, the common dictionary form is võimekas, as in ta on võimekas juht or meeskond on võimekas.

Etymology and nuance: Võimekat is derived from võime, meaning ability or power, with the suffix -kas that forms adjectives indicating possession of a quality. The word shares a semantic field with related terms such as võimekus (the state or quality of being capable) and võimeka (a declined form used in various syntactic positions). The emphasis is on practical competence and efficacy.

Grammatical notes: Like other Estonian adjectives, võimekas agrees with the noun it modifies in number and case. The form võimekat appears in inflected contexts as part of larger phrases, though the attributive usage most commonly encountered in everyday language is võimekas. In summary, võimekas is the standard adjective, while võimekat occurs as an inflected variant within sentences.

Usage and context: Võimekat is suitable for formal and informal communication when praising abilities, for example in leadership, performance, or problem-solving contexts. It can describe individuals (a capable person), groups (a capable team), or institutions (a capable organization) that demonstrate reliable competence and effectiveness.

See also: Võimekus, võimekas.