rahvusvahelaste

Rahvusvahelaste is the genitive plural form of the Estonian adjective rahvusvaheline, meaning international or of international scope. In Estonian, adjectives agree with the nouns they modify in number, case and, in some contexts, number and case of the noun. The form rahvusvahelaste appears specifically when the noun it describes is in the genitive plural, and it is used to indicate relation to or ownership by something international.

Etymology and meaning: rahvusvaheline is formed from rahvus (nation) and the suffix -vaheline, which conveys the sense of between nations or relating to nations. The word functions as an adjective describing entities such as agreements, organizations, or relations that involve more than one nation.

Usage: Rahvusvahelaste is common in formal, legal, diplomatic and academic Estonian. It appears in phrases such as:

- rahvusvahelaste lepingute täitmine (the implementation of international treaties),

- rahvusvahelaste organisatsioonide mõju (the influence of international organizations),

- rahvusvahelaste suhete areng (the development of international relations).

Notes on grammar: Because rahvusvahelaste is a genitive plural form, its use requires a following noun in genitive plural or a similar grammatical structure in the sentence. The base form rahvusvaheline is used in the nominative singular, and rahvusvahelised in the nominative plural, with various other inflected forms across cases.

See also: rahvusvaheline, rahvusvahelised, related terminology for international contexts.