kehtivate

Kehtivate is the genitive plural form of the Estonian adjective kehtiv, meaning “valid” or “in force.” It is used in formal and legal language to describe nouns that are currently applicable or enforceable. As a standalone item, kehtivate is a grammatical form rather than a separate lexical entry.

In Estonian, adjectives agree with the nouns they describe in number and case. The base form kehtiv has several inflected forms, including kehtivad (nominative plural), kehtivate (genitive plural), kehtiva (genitive singular), kehtivat (partitive singular), and kehtivaid (partitive plural). Kehtivate most commonly occurs with a noun in genitive plural, for example kehtivate seaduste kohaselt meaning “in accordance with the valid laws.”

Usage notes: Kehtivate appears mainly in official, legislative, and administrative texts. It signals that the referenced laws, contracts, or terms are currently in effect rather than expired or hypothetical. It can be contrasted with kehtinud, the past tense form meaning “valid (at the time)” or “in force previously.”

Etymology and related terms: Kehtivate derives from kehtiv, which in turn comes from the verb kehtima, meaning “to be in effect” or “to apply.” Related terms include kehtivus (validity), kehtima (to take effect), and other inflected forms such as kehtiva, kehtivat, and kehtivad, which appear in different grammatical contexts.