tõmbasite

Tõmbasite is the past tense, second-person plural form of the Estonian verb tõmbama, meaning to pull, draw, or drag. It is used when the speaker refers to an action performed by you all in the past. In English this corresponds to “you pulled.”

Morphology and usage notes: In Estonian, the past tense for the second-person plural is formed by adding the -site ending to the verb stem, here resulting in tõmbasite from the stem tõmb- or from the past stem tõmbas. The form is typically used in written and formal speech, but it is also common in narrative prose. The subject is usually omitted when the ending makes the person and number clear, but tehnique proper usage still conveys that multiple people performed the action.

Common meanings and contexts: The core meaning is physical pulling or dragging, as in pulling a rope, door, cart, or similar objects. The verb can also be used metaphorically, for example to describe drawing attention, pulling someone’s interest, or drawing a crowd, as in phrases like “tõmbasite tähelepanu” (you drew attention). The sense is highly contextual and can vary with accompanying objects and adverbs.

Examples:

- Te tõmbasite köiega köie lahti. (You pulled the rope loose with the rope.)

- Te tõmbasite tähelepanu endale, kui astusite lavale. (You drew attention to yourselves when you stepped on stage.)

Etymology and classification: Tõmbama belongs to the common Estonian verb class of -ma verbs. The root tõmb- expresses the core meaning of pulling or drawing, with the standard past tense and person-number endings applied as in other conjugations.

See also: Estonian grammar, past tense forms, verb conjugation, frases with tõmbama.