Vocab: otsustama

to decide

to decide

Building blocks

This word can actually be traced back to the word ots, which makes you ponder what exactly a decision is.

The word ots, otsa, otsa, otsi refers to one of two ends that belong together, like the two ends of a sausage, the beginning and end of a story or event, and so on.

How we got from ots to otsus “decision” is unclear, but the relationship makes me think that a decision is just choosing one particular beginning or end (or ots).

With this out of the way:

• otsus - decision

• -ta- - causative suffix “to make X”

• -ma - infinitive ending

So “otsustama” is literally “making a decision” or, if you want to get a bit more philosophical: choosing one of multiple possible “ends” or “beginnings”.

Examples

Otsustasin tăna puhata

“I decided to rest today”

Otsustasin - Verb - 1P Sg Ind Past, "I decided"
tăna - Adverb - "today"
puhata - Verb - da-Infinitive, "to rest"

👉 when you decided about an activity, the activity is in the “da”-form

Riigi prioriteetide üle otsustab valitsus.

“The government decides about the priorities of the state”

Riigi - Noun - Gen Sg, "The State's"
prioriteetide - Noun - Gen Pl, "priorities'"
üle - Postposition - "over", "about"
otsustab - Verb - 3P Sg Ind Present, "decides"
valitsus - Noun - Nom Sg, "the government"

👉 when you decide about something, the thing you decide about is in the Genitive case, followed by üle