alustamaks

Alustamaks is a non-finite form of the Estonian verb alustama, meaning “to start.” It functions as the infinitive of purpose, used to express the aim or intention of an action, and is typically translated into English as “in order to start” or “to begin.”

Formally, alustamaks is created by taking the verb stem and adding the suffix -maks, yielding a non-finite construction that does not carry person or tense on its own. In use, it accompanies a main clause to indicate why the action is undertaken.

The form appears most often in formal or written Estonian, where it can introduce a purpose clause at the beginning of a sentence or clause. For example, a sentence like “Alustamaks projekti, koostasime ajakava” communicates the plan’s aim: “In order to start the project, we prepared a schedule.” In everyday speech, speakers more often express purpose with other constructions, such as subordinate clauses introduced by et or voie with other infinitive forms.

Related purposive constructions in Estonian include phrases like selleks et + [clause], which convey similar aims in a more explicit syntactic form. Alustamaks, as a specific infinitive of purpose, is a relatively formal tool for stating intention within a sentence.