õppiv

Õppiv is the present active participle of the Estonian verb õppima, meaning to learn. It functions as an adjective and is used to describe someone or something that is engaged in learning. In everyday usage it often appears before a noun, as in õpiv inimene (a learner) or õppiv keskkond (a learning environment). While the standard noun for a person who learns is õppija, the participle form õppiv emphasizes the ongoing process of learning rather than the person.

Morphologically, õppiv is created from the verb stem õpp- with the present active participle suffix -iv. As an adjective, it agrees with the noun it modifies in number and case, and can participate in predicative constructions in various registers. The word is common in educational and pedagogical discourse, particularly in contexts that foreground learning or learner-centered approaches, such as õppiv õpetamine (learning-oriented teaching) or õppiv kultuur (a learning culture).

Etymology traces õppiv to the verb õppima and the standard participle suffixes in Estonian, with related forms including õppimine (learning) and õppija (learner). The term is widely understood in Estonian, though in many contexts the noun õppija is preferred for referring to a person who learns, while õppiv is used to describe the activity or the learner’s state.

See also: õppija, õppimine, õppiv lähenemine.