töötati

Töötati is the past passive form of the Estonian verb töötama, meaning “to work.” It expresses that the action of working occurred in the past and the doer is not specified. As a passive past tense form, it is typically used in written or formal contexts to describe processes, events, or completed actions without naming who performed them.

In usage, töötati can refer to various kinds of work, including physical labor, manufacturing, research, or other tasks that were carried out. The agent behind the action may be omitted, which is common in official reports and historical descriptions, or it can be stated with an accompanying modifier or clause if relevant to the context. The form is part of the Estonian passive voice system and contrasts with the present passive töötakse (is/are being worked) and with active forms such as töötab (works) and töötas (worked).

Overall, töötati functions as a neutral, formal way to indicate that work took place in the past, with emphasis on the occurrence of the action rather than on who performed it. Its use is most frequent in written Estonian—such as news, documentation, and scholarly or historical writing—where precise agent identification is less important than the description of the event or process.