kohtama

Kohtama is an Estonian verb meaning to meet or to encounter. It is used to describe meeting people, as well as encountering events or situations. The infinitive form is kohtama, and the derived noun kohtumine denotes a meeting or encounter. The verb is usually transitive and can take a person as its direct object, for example in simple past or present contexts: Ma kohtasin teda eile. Me kohtume homme. The choice of tense and aspect follows standard Estonian verb conjugation patterns, with person and number shaping the form.

In usage, kohtama can express both planned meetings and unplanned encounters; it is common in everyday speech and in writing. The nuance can differ from synonyms like kohtub or kohtuma in certain registers, with kohtuma emphasizing the act of meeting itself.

Etymology and cognates: Kohtama belongs to the Finnic branch of the Uralic language family. Its cognate in Finnish is kohdata, meaning to meet, reflecting a shared Proto-Finnic ancestor.