mõistetaks

mõistetaks is the conditional passive form of the Estonian verb "mõistma". The verb "mõistma" has several meanings, including to understand, to grasp, to comprehend, to judge, or to sentence. The form "mõistetaks" specifically conveys a sense of something being understood, grasped, comprehended, judged, or sentenced, but under a hypothetical or conditional circumstance.

This grammatical construction is used when an action or state of being is contingent upon a certain condition. For example, "Kui ta oleks teadnud, mõistetaks teda teisiti" translates to "If he had known, he would be understood differently." Here, the understanding of the person is conditional on their prior knowledge.

Another common usage relates to legal contexts. "Kui süüdistused oleksid tõestatud, mõistetaks ta süüdi" means "If the accusations had been proven, he would be found guilty." In this instance, the sentencing or finding of guilt is dependent on the proof of the accusations.

The suffix "-takse" indicates the passive voice, meaning the subject of the sentence is the recipient of the action, rather than the performer. The prefix "mõis-" refers to the root of the verb "mõistma". Therefore, "mõistetaks" literally means "would be understood/judged/sentenced" under specific, unmet conditions. It is a nuanced grammatical form that adds a layer of conditionality to passive statements in Estonian.