püsta

Päästa is an Estonian verb meaning to free, release, or save from danger, as well as to allow someone or something to go or to occur. The core senses include rescuing from harm, liberating from captivity, and permitting movement or action. In many contexts it can denote both physical release and figurative release, such as enabling someone to proceed or letting something happen.

In everyday usage, päästa is used with a variety of objects and complements, for example in phrases related to saving a life, freeing a prisoner, or releasing an animal, as well as in expressions that mean letting something loose or permitting access. It can also appear in idiomatic forms that emphasize the idea of letting go or letting something escape.

Morphology and common forms: in the present tense the first person singular is päästan, second person singular päästad, third person singular päästab; the first person plural is päästame, second plural päästate, third plural päästavad. The past tense forms include päästsin, päästsid, päästis, and the past plural forms vary accordingly. The perfect participle is päästnud, as in olen päästnud, and the passive participle is päästetud. The verb can appear in imperative forms as päästa (singular) or päästke (plural). These forms allow the verb to express a range of timings and aspects about release or permission.

Etymology and related terms: päästa comes from Estonian verb roots related to release and freedom. Related concepts include vabastama (to liberate) and vabadus (freedom). While cognate with Finnish päästä, Estonian usage and inflection are distinct, and conversations about päästa typically center on Estonian grammar and vocabulary.