liigutab

Liigutab is the third-person singular present tense form of the Estonian verb liigutama, which means "to move" or "to shift." The verb liigutama is imperfective, describing ongoing or habitual movement rather than a completed action. Liigutab can refer to moving a body part, an object, or even figurative movement such as progress or changes in a situation.

Use and nuances: In Estonian, liigutama takes objects in the appropriate case depending on specificity, often with a partitive or accusative form for the direct object. The phrase ta liigutab kätt, for example, means "he moves his hand," and koer liigutab saba means "the dog wags its tail." The construction can also describe moving objects within a space, such as ta liigutab eset laua peal, "he moves an object on the table." Beyond physical motion, the verb can be used metaphorically to indicate progress or shifts in plans, attention, or emotions.

Etymology and related forms: Liigutab derives from the verb liigutama, with -ab marking the present tense for third-person singular. Related forms include liigutan (I move) and liigutamine (movement or the act of moving). The root liigut- underpins related nouns like liigutus ("movement").

See also: liigutama, liigutamine.