pööras

Pööras is an Estonian verb form that corresponds to the English word "turned." It is the third-person singular simple past tense (preterite) of the verb pöörama, which means to turn, rotate, or bend. Pööras is used to indicate a completed turning action by a single subject in the past.

In everyday use, pööras appears in sentences describing physical turning or changing direction. Examples include Ta pööras ringi (He turned around) and Ta pööras pead (He turned his head). The form can be complemented by directional or object phrases, such as indicating a direction or what was turned, depending on context and sentence structure.

Morphology and related forms: pöörama belongs to the Estonian verb system where the base stem pöör- combines with various endings to produce tenses and moods. The past tense form pööras specifically marks a completed action by a singular subject. The verb also has related forms, such as pöörasin (I turned) and pööratud (turned, as a past participle used in passive constructions), which extend its use beyond the simple past tense.

Etymology and meaning: The root pöör- is a common Estonian stem meaning to turn or rotate, and pöörama forms part of a larger set of related words denoting rotation, turning, and direction. The root is Finnic in origin, shared with cognate languages in the region, and is found in related nouns and verbs such as pöörde (a turn or bend) and pöörlev (turning, rotating).

See also: pöörama, pöörde, pöörlev.