vastutama

Vastutama is an Estonian verb meaning to be responsible for something or to answer for something. It is used to describe carrying responsibility or liability, as well as to acknowledge accountability to someone or something. The phrase vastutan millegi eest expresses taking responsibility for a matter, while vastutan kelle ees conveys accountability to a person or institution.

The root of vastutama is related to the noun vastutus, which means responsibility. The verb is formed with the usual Estonian backward-compatible pattern for -uma verbs, and it shares semantic field with other words about duty and liability. It is distinct from vastata, which more often means to answer or respond to a question rather than to assume responsibility.

Conjugation in the present tense follows the standard pattern: ma vastutan, sa vastutad, ta vastutab, me vastutame, te vastutate, nad vastutavad. The simple past tense is formed as ma vastutasin, sa vastutasid, ta vastutas, me vastutasime, te vastutasite, nad vastutasid. The past participle is vastutanud, used in compound tenses and adjectival phrases (vastutanud isikul).

Common constructions include vastutada millegi eest (to be responsible for something) and vastutada kelle ees (to be answerable to someone). The term is widely used in legal, organizational, and everyday contexts when assigning duties or acknowledging responsibility for outcomes.

See also: vastutus (responsibility), vastama (to answer), vastutamine (responsibility-taking).