käimas

Käimas is an Estonian term used to indicate that a task, process, or event is currently underway or in progress. It functions as an adjective or predicative form derived from the verb käima and is commonly heard in both formal and semi‑formal Estonian. The usual construction is "on käimas," meaning "is ongoing" or "is in progress." For example, "Läbirääkimised on käimas" (The negotiations are ongoing) and "Projekti töö on käimas" (The project work is in progress). The term emphasizes ongoing status rather than completion.

In usage notes, käimas appears most often with nouns referring to processes, events, or operations, and is widely used in media, reports, and official communications. It can appear with other predicates in different sentence patterns, but the core sense remains ongoing status. The word can be contrasted with "valmis" meaning "ready" or "lõppenud" meaning "finished," which denote completed states.

Etymology: käimas is derived from the verb käima (to go, to run, to operate). The form resembles an Estonian present participle or a fixed predicative form used with "on" to mark ongoing action.

See also: Estonian language, Estonian verbs, ongoing aspect in Estonian.