väljendavat

Väljendavat is a form of the Estonian present active participle written from the verb väljendada, meaning to express or to articulate. It is the partitive singular form of the participle väljendav, and it functions as an adjective or participle that describes a noun in a non-finite construction. In usage, väljendavat conveys that something is expressing or conveying a particular content or emotion.

Morphology and function: The form väljendavat indicates a present, active sense and, like other Estonian participles, declines like an adjective. It agrees with the noun it modifies in number and case, but because it is in partitive form it typically appears with nouns in the partitive case or in phrases where the participle participates in a non-finite clause. This makes it common in descriptive or scholarly writing, where nuance about expression or conveyance is needed.

Semantic nuance: The participle emphasizes the action of expressing rather than a completed result. It is often used to characterize utterances, works, or phenomena as being expressive or having expressiveness. Phrases such as väljendavat emotsiooni or väljendavat mõtet illustrate how the form can specify what is being expressed.

Relationship to related forms: Väljendavat is allied with the base form väljendada and the present participle väljendav. The other cases of the participle decline similarly to adjectives, producing forms such as väljendava (genitive/dative singular) and tai. The distinction between the participial form and the finite verb forms is important in maintaining non-finite, descriptive functions in sentences.

See also: Estonian grammar, participles, non-finite verb forms, väljendada.