sõltuvate

Sõltuvate is an Estonian word form that functions as the genitive plural of the adjective sõltuv, meaning dependent or addicted. In Estonian, adjectives agree with the noun they describe, and when the noun is in the genitive plural, the adjective often takes the ending -ate, producing sõltuvate. For example, sõltuvate inimeste means “of dependent (or addicted) people.”

The base noun related to this adjective is sõltuvus, which covers states of dependence or addiction. The adjective sõltuv describes something related to or characterized by dependence or addiction. Sõltuvate appears in contexts where the speaker is referring to a group or quantity associated with dependent or addicted people or things in a genitive construction, such as counting or attributing a property to a group.

In usage, sõltuvate is common in social, health, and policy discourse. Examples include phrases like sõltuvate inimeste arv (the number of dependent/addicted people) or sõltuvate organisatsioonide huvid (the interests of dependent organizations), where the noun is in genitive plural and the adjective precedes it in its genitive plural form.

Related terms include sõltuvus (addiction, dependence). In grammar discussions, sõltuvate is cited as an example of Estonian adjective inflection: no gender distinction in Estonian, with endings changing to reflect case and number.

See also: Estonian grammar, adjectives, genitive case, sõltuvus.