vaatama

Estonian

Etymology

Derived from valvama (“to guard”) through syncope: *valvatama > *valatama > vaatama.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvɑːtˑɑmɑ/,

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːtɑmɑ
• Hyphenation: vaa‧ta‧ma

Verb

vaatama (da-infinitive vaadata)

1. (transitive, usually atelic, also figuratively) to look, to look at, to watch

   läbi roosade prillide vaatama ― to be overly optimistic (literally, “to look through pink glasses”)

   pudeli põhja vaatama ― to drink copious amounts of alcohol, binge drink (literally, “to look into the bottom of the bottle”)

   kurja silmaga vaatama ― to curse somebody (literally, “to look with the evil eye”)

   tõele näkku vaatama ― to face the truth (literally, “to look truth in the eye”)

   televiisorit vaatama ― to watch TV

   Kas sa oled vahel lihtsalt pilvi vaadanud?

   Have you ever just looked at the clouds?

   Mäel asuv katedraal vaatab üle kogu linna.

   The cathedral on the hill overlooks the whole city.

   1. to face

      Korteri aknad vaatavad tagahoovi.

      The windows of the apartment are facing the backyard.

2. to visit

   Läks haiglasse ema vaatama.

   He went to the hospital to visit his mother.

3. to look after (+ järele)
4. to look for; to find

   Tuleb hakata uut töökohta vaatama.

   You need to start looking for a new job.

5. to see, to find out (something in the future)

   Täna ma ei saa kuidagi, vaatame esmaspäeval.

   Today I can't, we'll see on Monday.

6. to view, to regard in a certain way
7. (colloquial, in the second-person imperative forms) Expresses surprise, warning, disdain, or refers to something in an affirmative, explanatory way, often as a form of address at the beginning of a sentence.

   Nojah, vaadake, nüüd on selline lugu.

   Well, look, now here's the story...

   Vaata aga vaata, kui suur poiss juba!

   Well, well, well, what a big boy he is already!

   Vaata et sa sellest kellelegi ei kõssa.

   Make sure you don't tell anyone.

Conjugation

Derived terms

Compound nouns

Compound verbs

References

• vaatama in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut)
• “vaatama”, in Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009