Causative Verbs (-ta-)

Making Someone Do (-ta-)

Level 4

Ma õpin means I learn. Ma õpetan means I teach, that is, I make someone learn. The suffix -ta- adds the idea of making it happen.

How It Works

Compare each pair. The first verb says what happens. The second verb says that someone makes it happen, and it takes an object.

  • ärkama → äratama: Ma ärkan kell seitse. (I wake up at seven.) Ema äratab mind. (Mom wakes me.)
  • kasvama → kasvatama: Tomatid kasvavad. (The tomatoes grow.) Ma kasvatan tomateid. (I grow tomatoes.)
  • põlema → põletama: Tuli põleb. (The fire burns.) Nad põletavad vanu lehti. (They burn old leaves.)
  • naerma → naerutama: Lapsed naeravad. (The children laugh.) Kloun naerutab lapsi. (The clown makes the children laugh.)
  • õppima → õpetama: Ma õpin eesti keelt. (I learn Estonian.) Ta õpetab eesti keelt. (She teaches Estonian.)

The suffix has a few shapes. It is usually -ta- (põletama, kasvatama). After a long vowel it is just -t-: keema → keetma (boil something), jooma → jootma (give an animal water), sööma → söötma (feed). These short -t- verbs change their stem like other verbs with t: ma keedan, ma söödan. A related suffix, -sta-, makes such verbs from adjectives and nouns, not from verbs: kurb (sad) gives kurvastama (make sad).

Sometimes the meaning shifts a little: istuma (sit) gives istutama (plant), and lõppema (end) gives lõpetama (finish something).

Not every verb has such a partner. For other verbs, use laskma with a da-infinitive: Ma lasin auto parandada. (I had the car repaired.)

Examples (6)

  1. Ema söödab last.

    Mom is feeding the child.

    Word by Word: mother feeds child

    Söötma (feed) comes from sööma (eat): Mom makes the child eat.

  2. Palun ärata mind kell seitse.

    Please wake me at seven.

    Ärkama is to wake up yourself; äratama is to wake someone else.

  3. Kloun naerutas lapsi terve õhtu.

    The clown made the children laugh all evening.

  4. Ta õpetab koolis matemaatikat.

    She teaches math at school.

  5. Ma keedan meile kohvi.

    I'll make us some coffee.

    Keetma (boil, cook) is the causative of keema: Vesi keeb (The water is boiling).

  6. Vanaisa kasvatab aias kartuleid.

    Grandpa grows potatoes in the garden.

Common Mistakes

  • Using õppima (learn) when you mean teaching someone.

    Ma õpin oma poega ujuma.
    Ma õpetan oma poega ujuma.

    Õppima is what the learner does. When you make someone learn, use the causative õpetama.

  • Using the base verb when you make someone do it.

    Ma söön kassi igal hommikul.
    Ma söödan kassi igal hommikul.

    Intended meaning: I feed the cat. Ma söön kassi means I eat the cat. To give the cat food, use söötma: ma söödan.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Causative Verbs (-ta-)Level 4Making Someone Do (-ta-)

Learn This First

Causatives are verb-to-verb derivation.

Words in This Pattern

-tama