Vocab: tõestama
to prove
Building blocks
tões- - truth or true
-ta- causative (“make something be X”)
-ma - infinitive ending
It’s derived from the Estonian word tõsi - true/truth. This derivation makes a lot of sense because when you use the word prove - you prove something to be true/prove the truth of something.
How to use it
How to use the word "tõestama" in different contexts:
Proving a point or statement:
Ta tõestas oma süütust kohtus. (He proved his innocence in court.)
Demonstrating or showing something:
Ta tõestas oma oskusi maailmakarika võistlustel. (She proved her skills at the World Cup competition.)
Proving one's worth or abilities:
Ta on tõestanud end suurepärase juhina. (He has proven himself as an excellent leader.)
Establishing facts or truths:
Teadusuuringud tõestavad kliimamuutuste mõju. (Research proves the impact of climate change.)
Proving in court or legal contexts:
Advokaat üritab tõestada süüdistatava süüd. (The lawyer tries to prove the defendant's guilt.)
Examples
Eksperiment tõestas teooriat
Literally: “Experiment proved theory”
Idiomatically: “The experiment proved the theory”
Eksperiment - Noun - Nom Sg, "Experiment"
tõestas - Verb - 3P Past Sg, "proved"
teooriat - Noun - Part Sg, "theory"Arstid püüavad tõestada, et uus ravim on tõhus.
Literally: “Doctors try to prove that new medication is effective”
Idiomatically: “The doctors are trying to prove that the new medication is effective”
Arstid - Noun - Nom Pl, "Doctors"
püüavad - Verb - 3P Present Pl, "try"
tõestada - Verb - da-Infinitive, "to prove"
et - Conjunction, "that"
uus - Adjective - Nom Sg, "new"
ravim - Noun - Nom Sg, "medication"
on - Verb - 3P Present Sg, "is"
tõhus - Adjective, Nom Sg, "effective"