Vocab: näitlema

to act

to act, to appear in a role, to portray a character

Building blocks

• näit(ama) - “to show or” “to point out”

• -le- - frequentative (expressing repeated, frequent action)

• -ma - infinitive ending

Therefore, "näitlema" literally translates to "to be showing" or "to be pointing out" in an ongoing way. This meaning has evolved to signify the act of portraying a character or pretending to be someone else, which is how we understand "to act" in English.

How to use it

1. Acting in a play or movie:

   • Ta näitleb peaosa uues filmis.

     • Translation: He/She is acting in the lead role in the new film.

2. Pretending or Deceiving:

   • Ta näitleb haiget, et tähelepanu saada.

     • Translation: He/She is acting hurt to get attention.

3. Role-playing:

   • Lapsed mängivad õues ja näitlevad erinevaid rolle.

     • Translation: The children are playing outside and acting out different roles.

4. Drama:

   • Sa ei pea alati nii palju näitlema, ole lihtsalt sina ise.

     • Translation: You don't always have to act so much, just be yourself.

Examples

Minu klassikaaslased näitlevad koolinäidendis

Literally: “My classmates are acting school play-in”

Idiomatically: “My classmates are acting in the school play”

Minu - Pronoun - Genitive Sg, "My"
klassikaaslased - Noun - Nominative Pl, "classmates"
näitlevad - Verb - 3P Present Pl, "are acting"
koolinäidendis - Noun - Inessive Sg, "school play-in"