tagastavad

Tagastavad is the third-person plural present tense form of the Estonian verb tagastama. The basic meaning of tagastama is to return something to its owner, or to give something back. In a broader sense it can also mean to refund or to repay a debt, and it can be used to describe returning a favor or reciprocating an action. Tagastavad is used when the subject of the sentence is plural, such as nad (they) or multiple entities performing the action.

Grammatically, tagastama is a transitive verb, requiring a direct object in a suitable case to indicate what is being returned. The verb has related forms such as tagastan (I return), tagastad (you return), tagastab (he/she/it returns), tagastame (we return), tagastate (you all return), and tagastavad (they return). The noun form for the process is tagastus, and the infinitive is tagastama.

In usage, tagastavad appears in everyday language, journalism, and formal contexts to describe the act of returning items, refunding money, or repaying obligations by plural subjects. Examples include: Nad tagastavad raamatud raamatukogule enne laenutähtaega. (They return the books to the library before the due date.) Ettevõte tagastavad klientidele raha ostude eest. (The company refunds money to the customers for purchases.) In consumer contexts, the term tagastus also relates to the overall process or policy of returns and refunds.

Overall, tagastavad is a common, neutral form used to convey the action of returning something by multiple agents in Estonian.