Est Grammar en
Est Grammar en
Est Grammar en
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ADVERBS ................................................................................................. 57
Adverbs of place ....................................................................................... 57
Adverbs of time ......................................................................................... 58
Adverbs of manner .................................................................................... 58
NOUN RELATORS (POSTPOSITIONS AND PREPOSITIONS) .............. 59
SENTENCE STRUCTURE........................................................................ 59
Word order ................................................................................................ 59
Questions .................................................................................................. 61
SOME IMPORTANT DERIVATIONAL SUFFIXES .................................... 62
FREQUENT VERBS WITH IRREGULAR CONJUGATIONS .................... 65
INDICATIVE MOOD .................................................................................. 65
CONDITIONAL MOOD.............................................................................. 66
IMPERATIVE MOOD ................................................................................ 66
INDICATIVE MOOD .................................................................................. 66
CONDITIONAL MOOD.............................................................................. 68
IMPERATIVE MOOD ................................................................................ 68
INDICATIVE MOOD .................................................................................. 69
CONDITIONAL MOOD.............................................................................. 70
IMPERATIVE MOOD ................................................................................ 70
FREQUENT NOUNS AND ADJECTIVES WITH IRREGULAR
DECLENSIONS ........................................................................................ 70
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SPELLING AND PRONUNCIATION
The following remarks on spelling and pronunciation utilize the conventions
outlined below for transcribing Estonian phonetically.
When the features of pronunciation which cannot be determined from the
spelling system are discussed, a broad phonetic transcription will be given in
square brackets.
Short, long, and overlong sounds are indicated respectively by single,
double, and triple occurrences of the phonetic symbol concerned. The
automatic lengthening of vowels in second syllables associated with words
having specific structural characteristics will be indicated by a grave accent [`]
over the vowel.
Our transcription thus differs somewhat from the one traditionally used in
Estonia, but it is consistent with the principles of the International Phonetic
Association and should thus be more accessible to a non-specialist readership.
3
o comb odav „cheap‟
p word initially: spin piki „along‟
word internally: sip please leping ‘„contract‟
word finally: (see below) sepp „smith‟
q (This letter appears only in proper names, e.g. Malmqvist.)
r motto rand „shore‟
s sit saun „sauna‟
(see below) isa „father‟
š shoot šampoon „shampoo‟
z (This letter only appears in recent loans, e.g. pizza „pizza‟
[-ts-], and in proper names, e.g. Zürich „Zurich‟ [ts-],
zooloogia „zoology [s-].)
ž television garaaž „garage‟
t word initially: stnk talu „farm‟
word internally: hit two sõita ‘„to travel‟
word finally: (see below) vett „(any) water‟
u loot uni „sleep‟
v very veri „blood‟
w (This letter appears only in proper names, e.g. Wiklar)
õ no equivalent: lips võtma „to take‟
in the position for
pet, tongue in
position for
caught
ä sat ära „away‟
ö Round and öö „night‟
protrude your lips,
and say the
English word fur;
German schön,
French peur
ü Round and üks „one‟
protrude your lips,
and say the
English word fee;
German für,
French pur
x (This letter appears only in recent loan words, such as x-
kiir „X-ray‟, and in proper names, e.g. Laxman.)
y (This letter only appears in proper names, e.g. |j]York
„York‟, [i]
Lydia „Lydia‟)
4
VOWELS AND DIPHTHONGS
CONSONANTS
5
Word-internally they represent long sounds when written singly, and overlong
sounds when written doubly, e.g. supi „of the soup‟, suppi „into the soup; some
soup‟, supid „the soups‟ vs. suppide „in the soups‟. Word finally doubly written p,
t, and k stand for overlong sounds, e.g. supp.
If the Estonian spelling system is consistent in providing clear signals as to
what sounds and quantities are represented by the letters b, d, g, p, t, and k, it
is deficient in its ability to represent the lengths of other sounds unambiguously.
As your knowledge of Estonian grammar increases you will learn to recognize
the clues you need to determine the correct alternative when a particular
spelling can stand for more than one pronunciation, e.g. linna (nimi) „(the name)
of the city‟, (ta läks) linna „(he went) into the city‟; saia (hind) „(the price) of the
loaf‟, (kaks) saia „two loaves‟.
The letter s stands for a voiceless, alveolar, sibilant, word at the beginning of
a word e.g. suur „big‟, and for a laxly articulated, sometimes slightly voiced
alveolar sibilant when it occurs between syllables, e.g. isa „father‟.
QUANTITY
Estonian makes a strict distinction between short sounds, long sounds, and
overlong sounds.
The language uses the length of sounds to distinguish between different
words, as well as to distinguish between different forms of the same word:
The difference is a matter of duration: long sounds are held for, and thus last
in real time, about twice as long as the corresponding short ones; overlong
sounds, in turn, last somewhat longer than the long ones. In Estonian grammar
short sounds are said to be in the first degree of length, long sounds in the
second degree, and overlong sounds in the third degree.
The Estonian spelling system represents sounds in the first degree by a
single letter. Sounds in the second and third degrees are both indicated by
double letters. Diphthongs, the letters p, t, k, f, and š, as well as consonant
clusters are never used word-internally to indicate sounds, which are in the first
degree.
The three-way distinction between short, long, and over-long sounds is
complemented by an automatic alternation in the duration of the vowels in the
second syllable. If an initial syllable has a vowel which is not in the third degree
and is open (does not end in a consonant), the vowel of the second syllable will
be automatically slightly lengthened: isa „father‟, kala „fish‟. If, in contrast, an
initial syllable has a vowel in the third degree, or ends in a consonant in the
third degree, or in a sequence of consonants, one of which is in the second
degree, the vowel of the second syllable will be short: linna „into/some of the
city‟, võõrad „the guests‟. The interrelationship between these relationships can
be seen in the following table:
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short sound long sound overlong sound
(1st degree) (2nd degree) (third degree)
sada saada (mind) „accompany Saada
„hundred‟ (me)‟ „to receive‟
lina linna (vaade) (näen) linna
„linen‟ „(a view) of the city‟ „(I see) the city‟
tigu „clue‟ tiku (-karp) (näen) tikku
„a match-box‟ „(I see) the match‟
PALATALIZATION
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progressively lower pitch. The last or logically most important stressed syllable
of a sentence is pronounced on a higher pitch than a preceding stressed
syllable, but on a lower pitch than the initial stressed syllable of the sentence.
GRADATION
The most common pattern in quantitative gradation is for a sound (or group
of sounds) in the second degree to alternate with a sound (or group of sounds)
in the third degree. The overall result is a long syllable (2nd grade) alternating
with an overlong syllable (3rd grade).
Here are some additional examples of quantitative gradation (given in the
order weak/strong) Note that the Estonian spelling system does not indicate
these differences clearly. In this course we shall adapt the following convention:
in the grammatical discussions and the vocabulary overlong syllables will be
indicated by a grave accent (`) place in front of them.
vowels:
keele „language (gen. sg.) – `keel „language (nom. sg.)‟
hoone „building (nom. sg.)‟ – `hoone „building (gen.sg.)‟
võõras „strange (nom. sg.) –`võõras „in strange‟
diphthongs:
laulan „I sing‟ – `laulma „to sing‟
koera „dog (gen. sg.) – `koera „dog (part./ill. sg.)‟
consonants (except p, t, k, f, š):
hallid „gray (nom. pl.)‟ – `hall „gray (nom. sg.)‟
the consonants p, t, k, f, š after a short vowel:
supi „soup (gen. sg.)‟ – `suppi „soup (part./ill. sg.)
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pika „long (gen. sg,) – `pikka „long (part./ill. sg.)‟
consonant sequences:
silma „eye (gen. sg.)‟ – `silma eye (part./ill. sg)‟
ostan „I buy‟ – `osta „to buy‟
arsti „physician (gen. sg.)‟ – `arsti „physician (part./ill. sg.)‟
consonant sequences with an alternating p, t, k, or s:
pingi „bench (gen. sg.)‟ – `pink „bench (nom. sg.)‟
metsa „forest (gen. sg.) – `metsa „forest (part./ill. sg.)‟
kursi „rate (gen. sing)‟ – `kurssi „rate (part./ill. sg.)
The above examples illustrate the nature of gradation, but do not treat it
exhaustively. Gradation in Estonian, particularly qualitative gradation, is
notoriously unpredictable. Nevertheless, if the student focuses attention on the
principal parts of any new word learned, the following generalizations can be
drawn:
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Strong Weak Strong Weak
Nominative `pikk rikas
Genitive pika `rikka
For verbs:
If a verb undergoes gradation the DA-infinitive and the present tense will be
in opposite grades. This is illustrated by the patterns for õppida „to learn‟ and
hakata „to begin‟:
The MA-infinitive (= dictionary form), past tense, and active participle of any
verb undergoing gradation will always be in the strong grade: `õppima, `õppisin,
`õppiv; `hakkama, `hakkasin, hakkav.
The impersonal forms of any verb undergoing gradation will always be in the
weak grade: õpitakse, hakatakse; õpitud, hakatud.
The -DES form and the -NUD participle will always appear in the same grade
as the DA-infinitive: `õppides, `õppinud; hakates, hakanud.
The second person singular of the imperative mood will always appear in the
same grade as the present tense: õpi, `hakka. The other forms of the
imperative will appear in the same grade as the DA-infinitive: `õppigu, hakaku.
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GRAMMAR
GENERAL REMARKS ON ESTONIAN GRAMMAR
Estonian makes use of the following processes in order to produce the forms
of words needed to indicate their functions in sentences:
1. Suffixation. One or several suffixes are added to the stem of the word:
2. Sound changes within the word stem. For example: tuba „the room,‟ toa
„of the room‟.
In many instances the two strategies are used simultaneously; suffixes are
added to a word stem which has been modified by internal sound changes.
tuba „the room‟, toa uks „the door of the room, toas „in the
room‟; võtta „to take‟, võtan „I take‟
maja „house‟, maja uks „the door of the house‟, näen maja „I
see the house‟. Compare kauplus „shop‟, kaupluse uks „the door of the shop‟,
näen kauplust „I see the shop‟.
kooli uks „the door of the school‟, but näen kooli „I see the
school‟. The first form, the genitive singular, has a long vowel in the first syllable
and a slightly lengthened vowel in the second one; the second form, the
partitive singular, has an overlong vowel in the first syllable, and a short vowel
in the second one.
laua all „under the table‟, mööda tänavat „along the street‟.
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laua peale ~ lauale „onto the table‟
b) Markers and auxiliaries plus non-conjugated forms of verbs. The negative
marker ei and the auxiliary olema „to be‟ enter into several combinations to
produce many of the forms of the Estonian verb.
THE VERB
the present,
the past,
the present perfect, and
the past perfect.
The present tense forms can be used to refer to repeated, ongoing, and
future actions and states: võtan „I take, I‟m taking, I‟ll take, I‟ll be taking‟. The
case of the direct object, often together with an adverbial particle, often places
an action or state in the present or future: söön leiba „I‟m eating the bread‟ –
söön leiva ära „I‟ll eat the bread (up)‟.
Estonian verbs have two infinitives: the MA-infinitive and the DA-
infinitive.
1) da- infinitive is being used with the verbs expressing feelings, attitude
towards action, possibility, perception, thinking processes,
manifestation of willpower, for example:
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ei tarvitse karta ´(one) should‟t be afraid of`
tuleb tegutseda ´(one) ought to act´
5) in impersonal questions
Mida teha? ´What to do?´Kuhu minna?` Where to go?´ Millest alustada?´
Where to begin?´ Kuidas elada? ´How to live?´ Olla või mitte olla? ´To be or
not to be?´
Some verbs may be used both with da-infiniteve as well as with ma-
infinitive.
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pääsema, pääseda, pääsen – to get rid of, to get free of, to escape
ruttama, rutata, ruttan – to hurry
saatma, saata, saadan – to send, to see off
sattuma, sattuda, sat(t)un – to get, to fall, to happen
sundima, sundida, sunnin – to make, to force
sõitma, sõita, sõidan – to go, to ride, to drive
tulema, tulla, tulen – to go, to come
tõusma, tõusta, tõusen – to get up, to rise
valmistuma, valmisutda, valmistun – to get ready (for), to prepare (for)
õpetama, õpetada, õpetan – to teach
õppima, õppida, õpin – to study, to learn
indicative,
conditional,
imperative, and
narrative.
The narrative mood is used to refer to an action or state, which the speaker
knows about only through the words of some other person:
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The various forms of the Estonian verb are constructed from one of the
following four stems:
the present stem,
the DA-infinitive stem,
the MA-infinitive stem, and the
TUD-participle stem.
The stems concerned are obtained by removing the suffix marking the
grammatical form in question.
The indicative mood refers to a real action (or state of being), which is taking
place at the present moment, took place in the past, or, in the opinion of the
speaker, will take place in the future.
The indicative mood has no specific grammatical marker.
Estonian verbs have four tenses in the indicative mood.
The personal forms of the present tense are formed from the present stem
by adding personal suffixes. In the negative forms the negative marker ei is
used. Use of a personal pronoun is optional in the affirmative but obligatory in
the negative.
The present stem is obtained by removing the personal suffix n from the
first person singular present indicative form.
saabun → saabu-
pakun → paku-
tahan → taha-
Affirmative:
-n mina (ma) saabun
present -d sina (sa) saabud
stem + -b tema (ta) saabub
personal marker -me meie (me) saabume
-te teie (te) saabute
-vad nemad (nad) saabuvad
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Negative:
mina (ma) ei saabu
ei + sina (sa) ei saabu
present stem tema (ta) ei saabu
meie (me) ei saabu
teie (te) ei saabu
nemad (nad) ei saabu
The verb olema „to be‟ has slight irregularities in its conjugation in the present
and past tenses.
The impersonal forms of the present tense are formed from the TUD-
participle stem by addition of the marker -TAKSE (-DAKSE, -AKSE).
The TUD-participle stem is obtained by removing the marker -TUD from the
participle.
-TAKSE
TUD-participle stem + -
DAKSE
-AKSE
Selles kohvikus pakutakse maitsvaid In this café they serve tasty buns.
saiakesi.
Selles ateljees õmmeldakse ilusaid In this fashion house they sew
kleite. beautiful skirts.
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The negative impersonal forms for the present tense are constructed from
the negative marker ei, the stem of the TUD-participle, and the marker -TA (-
DA),
The personal forms of the past tense are constructed from the stem of the
MA-infinitive, the marker of the simple past tense -SI (-I), and the personal
endings. The third person forms are exceptions to this pattern.
Affirmative:
-n mina (ma) saabusin
-d sina (sa) saabusid
MA-infinitive stem - tema (ta) saabus
+ -SI(-I) + -me meie (me) saabusime
-te teie (te) saabusite
-d nemad (nad) saabusid
The negative forms are constructed from the negative participle ei and the
NUD-participle.
Negative:
mina (ma) ei saabunud
sina (sa) ei saabunud
ei + NUD-participle tema (ta) ei saabunud
meie (me) ei saabunud
teie (te) ei saabunud
nemad (nad) ei saabunud
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olema „to be‟
Affirmative: Negative:
mina (ma) olin mina (ma) ei olnud
sina (sa) olid sina (sa) ei olnud
tema (ta) oli tema (ta) ei olnud
meie (me) olime meie (me) ei olnud
teie (te) olite teie (te) ei olnud
nemad (nad) olid nemad (nad) ei olnud
The impersonal forms for the past tense are constructed from the -TUD-
participle stem and the marker -TI(-DI).
Selles kohvikus pakuti varem maitsvat They used to serve tasty tea in
teed. that café.
Selles ateljees õmmeldi enne ainult They used to sew only dresses in
kleite. that fashion house.
The negative impersonal forms for the past tense are constructed from the
negative marker ei and the -TUD-participle.
ei + TUD-participle
Selles kohvikus ei pakutud varem teed. They didn‟t used to serve tea in
that café.
Selles ateljees ei õmmeldud kleite. They didn‟t sell dresses in that
fashion house.
The present perfect tense refers to an action or situation, which took place in
the past viewed from the standpoint of the present. This form is also sometimes
used when referring to the result of a completed action.
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Affirmative:
mina (ma) olen mina (ma) olen saabunud
sina (sa) oled sina (sa) oled saabunud
tema (ta) on + NUD- tema (ta) on saabunud
meie (me) oleme participle meie (me) oleme saabunud
teie (te) olete teie (te) olete saabunud
nemad (nad) on nemad (nad) on saabunud
Negative:
mina (ma) mina (ma) ei ole saabunud
sina (sa) sina (sa) ei ole saabunud
tema (ta) ei ole + NUD- tema (ta) ei ole saabunud
meie (me) participle meie (me) ei ole saabunud
teie (te) teie (te) ei ole saabunud
nemad (nad) nemad (nad) ei ole saabunud
Laev on ammu juba saabunud. The ship has long since arrived.
Rong ei ole veel saabunud. The train has not yet arrived.
on + TUD-participle
Kas seda salatit on ka enne selles Has this salad been served in this
kohvikus pakutud? café before?
Kas see kleit on õmmeldud ateljees? Has this skirt been sewn in this
fashion house?
The negative impersonal forms of the present perfect tense are constructed
according to the following model:
ei ole + TUD-participle
Seda praadi ei ole siin kunagi varem This roast has never been served
pakutud. here before.
See kleit ei ole ateljees õmmeldud. This dress was not sold in the
fashion house.
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The Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect tense is used to refer to an action or situation in the past
from the standpoint of a less distant past determined by the context or the other
parts of the sentence.
Laev oli juba kaks tundi tagasi The ship had already arrived two
saabunud. hours ago.
See maja oli ehitatud juba sajandi This house had already been built
alguses. at the beginning of the century.
The past perfect is also used when the speaker him or herself did not directly
experience the action or situation referred to.
Malle teadis, et tema vanemad olid Malle knew that her parents had
elanud maal. lived in the country.
The past perfect tense is additionally used to express the result of an action
which took place in the past.
Hiljem olid tema vanemad asunud Her parents had moved to Tallinn
elama Tallinna. later.
The past perfect tense is constructed using the past tense forms of the verb
olema and the NUD-participle. The impersonal forms use the TUD-participle.
Affirmative:
mina (ma) olin mina (ma) olin saabunud
sina (sa) olid sina (sa) olid saabunud
tema (ta) oli + NUD- tema (ta) oli saabunud
meie (me) olime participle meie (me) olime saabunud
teie (te) olite teie (te) olite saabunud
nemad (nad) olid nemad (nad) olid saabunud
Negative:
mina (ma) mina (ma) ei olnud saabunud
sina (sa) sina (sa) ei olnud saabunud
tema (ta) ei olnud + tema (ta) ei olnud saabunud
mina (ma) NUD-participle meie (me) ei olnud saabunud
sina (sa) teie (te) ei olnud saabunud
tema (ta) nemad (nad) ei olnud saabunud
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Olin just koju jõudnud, kui telefon I had just arrived home when the
helises. telephone rang.
Ma ei olnud veel koju jõudnud, kui I had not yet arrived home when it
algas vihmasadu. began to rain.
The impersonal forms of the past perfect are constructed using the past tense
forms of the verb olema and the TUD-participle.
oli + TUD-participle
See džemper oli juba ammu müüdud. This pullover had already been sold
long ago.
ei olnud + TUD-participle
See džemper ei olnud veel müüdud. This pullover had not yet been sold.
The personal forms of the present conditional are constructed by adding the
marker –KSI- (-KS) to the present stem before the personal endings. The
personal endings can also be omitted, particularly when the subject of the verb
may be determined by other means.
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Affirmative:
present stem + -KSI- + personal endings
Negative:
ei + present stem + -KS
Oleks hea, kui laev saabuks It would be nice if the boat would
hommikul. arrive in the morning.
Oleks hea, kui rong ei saabuks nii It would be nice if the train didn‟t
hilja. arrive so late.
Affirmative:
TUD-participle stem + -TAKS (-DAKS)
Oleks hea, kui saabutaks enne õhtut. It would be nice if people would
arrive before evening.
Negative
EI + TUD-participle stem + -TAKS (-DAKS)
The personal forms of the present perfect conditional are constructed from
the present conditional forms of the verb olema and the NUD-participle.
Affirmative:
mina (ma) oleks(in)
sina (sa) oleks(id)
tema (ta) oleks + NUD- PARTICIPLE
meie (me) oleks(ime)
teie (te) oleks(ite)
nemad (nad) oleks(id)
Negative
mina (ma)
sina (sa)
tema (ta) +ei oleks + NUD-PARTICIPLE
meie (me)
teie (te)
nemad (nad)
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Ma oleksin saabunud juba eile, kui sa I would have already arrived yesterday
ei oleks unustanud mulle helistada. if You hadn‟t forgotten to call me.
Affirmative:
oleks + TUD-PARTICIPLE oleks saabutud
Negative
ei oleks + TUD-PARTICIPLE ei oleks saabutud
Kui mulle oleks õigel ajal helistatud, If I had been called at the right time
siis sa ei oleks pidanud nii kaua You wouldn‟t have had to wait for so
ootama. long.
Kui töötajatega ei oleks kokku lepitud, If it would not have been agreed with
oleks reis ära jäänud. the workers, the trip would have been
cancelled.
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The imperative mood
Personal forms:
Affirmative:
Singular:
1st person – –
Plural:
Note that the second person singular affirmative form of the imperative mood
appears in the same grade as the present tense: paku, vaata (compare mina
pakun, mina vaatan). The other forms of the imperative appear in the same
grade as the DA-infinitive: pakkuge, vaadake (compare pakkuda, vaadata).
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Negative:
Singular:
1st person – –
Plural:
Note that the third person forms are identical in the singular and plural.
Peeter, paku külalistele teed! Peeter, offer the guests some tea!
Ärge jääge lõunale hiljaks! Don‟t be late for lunch!
Affirmative:
TUD-participle stem pakutagu!
+ -DA (-TA) + -GU vaadatagu!
Negative
ärgu ärgu pakutagu!
+ present impersonal affirmative ärgu vaadatagu!
imperative
26
Ärgu isegi mõeldagu puududa They had better not even think about
matemaatika tunnist! being absent from the mathematics
lesson!
The present perfect forms of the imperative mood are rarely used. They have
no personal endings, for which reason their subjects must always be expressed.
These forms are constructed from the third person imperative forms of the verb
olema and the NUD-participle; the impersonal forms have the TUD-participle.
Affirmative:
mina (ma)
sina (sa)
tema (ta) olgu + olgu pakkunud!
meie (me) NUD-participle olgu vaadanud!
teie (te)
nemad (nad)
Negative
mina (ma)
sina (sa)
tema (ta) ärgu olgu + ärgu olgu pakkunud!
meie (me) NUD-participle ärgu olgu vaadanud!
teie (te)
nemad (nad)
Ta olgu läinud enne meie tulekut! He is to have left before our arrival!
Impersonal forms:
Affirmative:
olgu + TUD-PARTICIPLE olgu pakutud!
Negative
ärgu olgu + TUD-PARTICIPLE ärgu olgu pakutud!
Olgu pakutud parimad road! May the best dishes be served here!
27
The narrative mood
of the narrative mood is formed from the stem of the MA-infinitive to which is
added the marker -VAT with no personal endings.
Affirmative:
mina (ma)
sina (sa)
tema (ta) MA-infinitive stem
meie (me) + -VAT
teie (te)
nemad (nad)
28
Rein saabuvat koju homme They say that Rein will be arriving
hommikul. home tomorrow morning.
Riina tahtvat juba koju tulla. Riina is said to want to come home
already.
The impersonal forms of the narrative mood are formed from the TUD-
participle stem, to which the marker-TAVAT (-DAVAT) is added.
Affirmative:
TUD-participle stem + -TAVAT
(-DAVAT)
Negative
ei + TUD-participle stem + -TAVAT
(-DAVAT)
of the narrative mood is formed using the present tense forms of the verb
“OLEMA” and the NUD-participle, for the impersonal forms the TUD-participle is
used.
Affirmative:
mina (ma)
sina (sa)
tema (ta) olevat +
meie (me) NUD-PARTICIPLE
teie (te)
nemad (nad)
Sa olevat saabunud juba eile. You are said to already have arrived
yesterday.
Ta olevat ostnud juba selle uue She is said to have bought a new
džempri. pullover.
29
Negative
mina (ma)
sina (sa)
tema (ta) ei olevat +
meie (me) NUD-PARTICIPLE
teie (te)
nemad (nad)
Sa ei olevat veel näinud seda filmi. They say You haven‟t seen this film
yet.
Affirmative:
olevat + TUD-PARTICIPLE
Negative:
ei olevat + TUD-PARTICIPLE
30
II No gradation: stem of two or three syllables, no `muutuma,
gradation. (Note exceptional forms for verbs like elama, tulema
tulema, olema, panema.)
III Gradation: MA-infinitive strong grade, present `pakkuma
indicative weak grade lugema,
For verbs like lugema it is the qualitative rather `saatma,
than the (secondary) quantitative gradation which `andma,
is relevant. Grade of past impersonal participle `maksma,
unpredictable. `laulma
IV Gradation: MA-infinitive strong grade, DA- `hakkama
infinitive weak grade, present indicative strong (hakata),
grade. Past impersonal participle in weak grade. `õmblema
(õmmelda),
`vaatama,
(vaadata)
Some of the similarities and differences between the groups can be seen by
comparing the relationships holding between their principal parts (boldfacing
indicates the strong grade):
31
The declined forms of the infinitive
MA-infinitive DA-infinitive
-MA saabuma „to arrive‟ -DA saabuda „to arrive‟
pakkuma „to offer‟ pakkuda „to offer‟
vaatama „to look‟ vaadata „to look‟
-MAST saabumast
pakkumast
vaatamast
-MAKS saabumaks
pakkumaks
vaatamaks
-MATA saabumata
pakkumata
vaatamata
-MA: Ma pean vaatama, kuhu lapsed I must see where the children have
on läinud. gone.
MAST: Ma tulen filmi vaatamast. I‟m coming from having seen the
film.
-MATA: Mul on see film vaatamata. I didn‟t see the film. (= For me the
film is without having been seen.)
32
Ma kavatsen pakkuda I‟m getting ready to offer the
külalistele saiakesi. guests buns.
-DES: Albumit vaadates läks aeg While (we were) watching the
märkamatult. album time passed by unnoticed.
The participles
MA-infinitive stem + -V
saabuma – saabuv
„to arrive – arriving‟
vaatama – vaatav
„to look – looking‟
laulma – laulev
„to sing – singing‟
seisma – seisev
„to stand – standing‟
SINGULAR PLURAL
Nominative saabuv rong saabuvad rongid
Genitive saabuva rongi saabuvate rongide
Partitive saabuvat rongi saabuvaid ronge
Illative saabuvasse rongi saabuvatesse rongidesse
Inessive saabuvas rongis saabuvates rongides
Elative saabuvast rongist saabuvatest rongidest
Allative saabuvale rongile saabuvatele rongidele
Adessive saabuval rongil saabuvatel rongidel
Ablative saabuvalt rongilt saabuvatelt rongidelt
33
Translative saabuvaks rongiks saabuvateks rongideks
Terminative saabuva rongini saabuvate rongideni
Essive saabuva rongina saabuvate rongidena
Abessive saabuva rongita saabuvate rongideta
Comitative saabuva rongiga saabuvate rongidega
Saabuva rongi aknad olid avatud. The windows of the incoming train
were open
Lapsed valmistuvad algavaks The children are preparing for the
õppeaastaks. coming school year.
The TUD-participle is one of the principal parts of the verb. Many forms of
Estonian verbs use the TUD-participle stem.
34
Declension of the TAV-participle:
SINGULAR
Nominative valitav ametikoht
Genitive valitava ametikoha
Partitive valitavat ametikohta
Illative valitavasse ametikohasse ~ ametikohta
Inessive valitavas ametikohas
Elative valitavast ametikohast
Allative valitavale ametikohale
Adessive valitaval ametikohal
Ablative valitavalt ametikohalt
Translative valitavaks ametikohaks
Terminative valitava ametikohani
Essive valitava ametikohana
Abessive valitava ametikohata
Comitative valitava ametikohaga
PLURAL
Nominative valitavad ametikohad
Genitive valitavate ametikohtade
Partitive valitavaid ametikohti
Illative valitavatesse ametikohtadesse
Inessive valitavates ametikohtades
Elative valitavatest ametikohtadest
Allative valitavatele ametikohtadele
Adessive valitavatel ametikohtadel
Ablative valitavatelt ametikohtadelt
Translative valitavateks ametikohtadeks
Terminative valitavate ametikohtadeni
Essive valitavate ametikohtadena
Abessive valitavate ametikohtadeta
Comitative valitavate ametikohtadega
English expresses the content of the Estonian present passive participle using
a relative clause or by lexical means.
35
The NUD-participle (the past active participle)
NOMINALS
Nominals include:
1. nouns, e.g. mees „man‟, vesi „water‟, juht „event‟
2. adjectives, e.g. punane „red‟, kena „nice‟, õnnelik „happy‟
3. numerals, e.g. kaks „two‟, teine „second‟
4. pronouns, e.g. sina „you‟, see „this‟
Estonian has a single system of declension. Most of the case markers apply
to all declinable words and are the same in the singular and plural.
Estonian distinguishes between fourteen different cases.
36
5. Inessive – kelles? „in -s maas maades
whom?‟, milles? „in what?‟, sadamas sadamates ~
kus „where?‟ sadamais
6. Elative – kellest? „about -st maast maadest
whom?‟, millest? „out of sadamast sadamatest ~
what?‟, kust? „where from?‟ 1 sadamaist
7. Allative – kellele? „to/for -le maale maadele
whom?‟, millele? „to/for sadamale sadamatele ~
what?‟, kuhu? „where to?‟ sadamaile
8. Adessive – kellel? -l maal maadel
„at/on/by whom?‟, millel? sadamal sadamatel ~
„at/on/by what?‟, kus? sadamail
„where?‟
9. Ablative – kellelt? „from -lt maalt maadelt
whom?‟, millelt? „from sadamalt sadamatelt ~
what?‟, kust? „from where?‟ sadamailt
10. Translative – kelleks? -ks maaks maadeks
„(becomes) who?‟, milleks? sadamaks sadamateks ~
„(becomes) what?‟ 2 sadamaiks
11. Terminative – kelleni? -ni maani maadeni
„up to whom?‟, milleni? „up to sadamani sadamateni
what?‟ 3
12. Essive – kellena? „as -na maana maadena
who?‟, millena? „as what?‟ sadamana sadamatena
13. Abessive – kelleta? -ta maata maadeta
„without whom?‟, milleta? sadamata sadamateta
„without what?‟
14. Comitative – -ga maaga maadega
kellega? „with whom?‟, sadamaga sadamatega
millega? „with what?‟
1
Note also: mis kellast? ‘from what time?’
2
Note also: mis kellaks? ‘at what time?’
3
Note also: mis kellani? ‘up until what time?’, kella kolmest neljani ‘from three to four
o’clock’
37
SINGULAR PLURAL
NOMINATIVE sadam sadama/d
GENITIVE sadama sadama/te
PARTITIVE sadama/t sadama/i/d
................... ...............
ILLATIVE sadama/sse sadamate/sse
sadamai/sse
The genitive singular form provides the stem for all the singular case
forms, beginning with the (long) illative, as well as for the nominative plural.
The genitive and partitive plural forms provide the stem for all the
remaining plural case forms: the genitive plural form provides the stem for the
more commonly used long or DE-(TE) -forms, with the partitive plural providing
the stem for the parallel short forms for those words which allow them.
Beginning with the illative plural, constructing a plural case form simply
requires addition of the appropriate case marker onto the genitive plural form.
All Estonian nouns and adjectives have DE- (TE)-forms, only nouns and
adjectives belonging to specific classes have parallel short forms.
The parallel plural short forms have the partitive plural as their basis.
38
Bisyllabic
genitive
singular: (no marker) -DE -SID
in first degree of
quantity:
vaba vabade vabasid
vaba kodu kodude kodusid
kodu ema emade emasid
ema
in second degree
of quantity:
-T -DE -SID
-T -TE -(E)ID
`mantli `mantlit `mantlite `mantleid
`peegli `peeglit `peeglite `peegleid
Three or more
syllables in the
genitive sin-
gular:
-T -TE -ID
`meeldivat `meeldivate `meeldivaid
`meeldiva tänavat tänavate tänavaid
tänava kardina kardinate kardinaid
kardina
-T -TE -(E)ID
`kampsunit `kampsunite `kampsuneid
`kampsuni sidrunit sidrunite sidruneid
sidruni
Words, which are subject to gradation, usually form their basic cases by
sound changes within the word stem. Both the quantity and the quality of the
sounds may change, in addition to which the addition of the plural marker may
bring about some changes in the forms of the case markers in the plural.
Words having a genitive singular form in the weak grade usually have
partitive singular and plural forms which lack any markers but are in the strong
grade. The genitive plural of such words has the marker -DE and is also in the
strong grade.
39
Partitive singular Partitive plural Genitive plural
-i -e -de
`passi `passe `passide
`pruuni `pruune `pruunide
`plaati `plaate `plaatide
-e -i -de
`järve `järvi `järvede
`lehte `lehti `lehtede
`kaske `kaski `kaskede
`kuuske `kuuski `kuuskede
-u -e -de
`laulu `laule `laulude
`toitu `toite `toitude
-a -i and -u -de
`päeva `päevi `päevade
`metsa `metsi `metsade
`laeva `laevu `laevade
`lauda `laudu `laudade
Note that for words of this type the patterns of grade alternation are
predictable. Taking the word järv „lake‟ as an example, we see that the genitive
singular, partitive singular, and short (=endingless) illative singular, are all
spelled identically: järve. The student should know that the genitive singular
and long (ending in -sse) illative will be in the weak grade: järve, järvesse; but
the nominative, partitive, and short illative singular forms, as well as the
genitive and partitive plural forms will all be in the strong grade: järv, järve,
järve; järvede, järvi, järvesid. These relationships are easier to understand if
presented in tabular form. The strong grade is indicated by a grave accent (`):
Singular Plural
Nominative `järv järved
Genitive järve `järvede
Partitive `järve `järvi
Long illative järvesse `järvedesse
Short illative `järve –
Inessive, etc. järves `järvedes
40
Partitive singular Partitive plural Genitive plural
-t -i -te
`keelt `keeli `keelte
`suurt `suuri `suurte
`uut `uusi `uute
Their behavior with respect to grade alternation follows the same pattern as
for words like järv: Taking keel „language‟ as an example (`keel [keeel], keele
[keele']):
Singular Plural
Nominative `keel keeled
Genitive keele `keelte
Partitive `keelt `keeli
Long illative keelesse `keeltesse
Short illative `keelde –
Inessive, etc. keeles `keeltes
Words, which have a genitive singular in the strong grade, form the primary
cases using a combination of internal changes within the stem and the addition
of case and number markers.
Singular Plural
Nominative kaunis `kaunid
Genitive `kauni kauniste ~ kaunite
Partitive kaunist `kauneid
Long illative `kaunisse kaunistesse ~
Short illative kaunitesse ~
kauneisse
Inessive, etc. `kaunis kaunistes ~ kaunites
~ kauneis
41
Examples of the use of the cases
Nominative:
The direct object of verbs in the imperative mood is in the nominative case if
the verb is affirmative and the noun is definite:
Genitive:
Ootasime sind terve päeva. „We waited for you all day.‟
42
Partitive:
Anne toob kohe vett. „Anne will bring some water soon.‟
Meil ei ole vett. „We don‟t have any water.‟
Palun andke mulle liiter piima. „Please give me a liter of milk.‟
With numerals higher than üks „one‟ the partitive singular form of nouns (and
their premodifiers) will be used:
vaatama „to look‟, märkama „to notice‟, armastama „to love‟, huvitama „to be
interested, kuulama „to listen‟, keelama „to forbid‟, käsutama „to dispatch‟ etc.
These are typically verbs denoting an activity, which by its nature does not
produce a concrete result.
43
Sõin leiba. „I ate (some) bread [direct object in
partitive].‟
Sõin leiva. „I ate the bread (up) [direct object in
genitive].‟
The direct object of verbs in the imperative mood is in the partitive case if the
verb is affirmative and the noun is indefinite:
The illative, inessive, elative, allative, adessive, and ablative are called local
cases. Their basic function is to express spatial relationships.
44
Illative(long form in -SSE; short form with internal changes):
The short illative can only be formed for nouns and adjectives conforming to
specific structural patterns. Short illatives only occur in the singular.
All Estonian nouns and adjectives have long illatives. These are formed on
the basis of the genitive case forms in the singular as well as the plural.
Inessive (-s):
45
Elative(-st):
Allative(-le):
Adessive(-l):
Estonian has no verb corresponding to English „to have‟. To express the same
idea, the noun indicating the possessor is put into the adessive case, the noun
indicating the thing possessed is put into the nominative (= specific) or partitive
(= unspecific) case, and the two nouns are linked by a form of the verb olema.:
Ablative(-lt):
46
The general cases
Translative(-ks):
The translative case indicates a change of state and various related ideas:
Essive(-na):
Terminative (-ni):
Minge selle kõrge majani ja pöörake „Go as far as that high building and turn
vasakule! left!‟
Tiina jalutas õhtuni metsas. „Tiina walked in the forest until evening.‟
Abessive (-ta):
Väike vend läks täna kooli ilma emata. „Little brother went to school today
without mother.‟
Ema ei taha sõita maale kingitusteta. „Mother doesn‟t want to go to the country
without gifts.‟
47
Comitative(-ga):
Tiiu sõitis lastega suveks maale. „Tiiu went to the country with the
children for the Summer.‟
Palun kohvi koorega! „Please, coffee with cream!‟
Külalised tulid laevaga. „The guests came by ship.‟
Kas sa jõuad siia poole tunniga? „Can you be here in half an hour?‟
Note that the comitative can be used as a noun premodifier in very much the
same manner as an adjective.
See habemega mees on vist Arvi. „The man with the beard is possibly
Arvi.‟
Adjectives
Adjectives modifying nouns agree with them and take the same markers for
number and case except in the terminative, essive, abessive, and
comitative. In these four cases adjectives modifying nouns appear in the
genitive.
SINGULAR PLURAL
Nominative ilus linn ilusad linnad
Genitive ilusa linna ilusate linnade
Partitive ilusat linna ilusaid linnu
Illative ilusasse linna ~ ilusatesse linnadesse
linnasse
Inessive ilusas linnas ilusates linnades
Elative ilusast linnast ilusatest linnadest
Allative ilusale linnale ilusatele linnadele
Adessive ilusal linnal ilusatel linnadel
Ablative ilusalt linnalt ilusatelt linnadelt
Translative ilusaks linnaks ilusateks linnadeks
Terminative ilusa linnani ilusate linnadeni
Essive ilusa linnana ilusate linnadena
Abessive ilusa linnata ilusate linnadeta
Comitative ilusa linnaga ilusate linnadega
48
The comparison of adjectives
The forms of the comparative degree are declined for case and number in
the same manner as the forms of the positive degree.
49
The superlative degree
Modern Estonian forms the superlative degree in one of three different ways.
1. All adjectives have a compound form of the superlative degree. This
consists of the word kõige „most‟ followed by the form of the comparative
degree.
2. A short superlative with the marker -i can be formed in the same manner
as plural forms with the marker -i.
50
See ülesanne on palju keerulisem kui „This exercise is much more complex
eelmine. than the previous one.‟
See on kõige keerulisem ülesanne. „This is the most complex exercise.‟
Vend on vanem kui õde. „Brother is older than sister.‟
See on linna vanim kool. „It‟s the oldest school in the city.‟
Numerals
Cardinal numerals
1–10 21›
1 üks 21 kakskümmend üks
2 kaks 22 kakskümmend kaks
3 kolm 23 kakskümmend kolm
4 neli 24 kakskümmend neli
5 viis 25 kakskümmend viis
6 kuus 26 kakskümmend kuus
7 seitse 27 kakskümmend seitse
8 kaheksa 28 kakskümmend kaheksa
9 üheksa 29 kakskümmend üheksa
10 kümme 30 kolmkümmend
31 kolmkümmend üks
11–20 10–20→
11 üksteist 10 kümme
12 kaksteist 20 kakskümmend
13 kolmteist 30 kolmkümmend
14 neliteist 40 nelikümmend
15 viisteist 50 viiskümmend
16 kuusteist 60 kuuskümmend
17 seitseteist 70 seitsekümmend
18 kaheksateist 80 kaheksakümmend
19 üheksateist 90 üheksakümmend
20 kakskümmend 100 sada
51
100→
101 sada üks 901 üheksasada üks
102 sada kaks 902 üheksasada kaks
103 sada kolm… 903 üheksasada kolm…
110 sada kümme 910 üheksasada kümme
111 sada üksteist 911 üheksasada üksteist
112 sada kaksteist… 912 üheksasada kaksteist…
120 sada kakskümmend 920 üheksasada kakskümmend
121 sada kakskümmend üks 930 üheksasada kolmkümmend
122 sada kakskümmend kaks… 931 üheksasada kolmkümmend üks
932 üheksasada kolmkümmend kaks…
Ordinal numerals
The nominative singular forms of the ordinal numerals are formed from the
genitive singular forms of the cardinal numerals by adding the marker -s. The
genitive singular form of the ordinal numbers as the marker -NDA replace the -s
of the nominative: viis „five‟, genitive singular viie + -s viies „fifth‟.
Exceptions: null „zero‟, üks „one‟, kaks „two‟, kolm „three‟, miljon „million‟,
miljard „billion‟.
53
16. kuueteistkümnes 1 000. tuhandes
17. seitsmeteistkümnes 1 000 000. miljones
18. kaheksateistkümnes
19. üheksateistkümnes
„5897‟
Nominative viis tuhat kaheksasada üheksakümmend seitse
Genitive viie tuhande kaheksasaja üheksakümne seitsme
Partitive viit tuhandet kaheksatsada üheksatkümmend (üheksatkümmet)
seitset
Illative viie tuhande kaheksasaja üheksakümne seitsmesse
Inessive viie tuhande kaheksasaja üheksakümne seitsmes
etc.
For complex ordinal numbers only the final component is declined, with the
other components appearing in the genitive singular.
„675th‟
Nominative kuuesaja seitsmekümne viies
Genitive kuuesaja seitsmekümne viienda
Partitive kuuesaja seitsmekümne viiendat
Illative kuuesaja seitsmekümne viiendasse
Inessive kuuesaja seitsmekümne viiendas
etc.
54
Raamatus oli tuhat üheksasada „The book contained 1971
seitsekümmend üks lehekülge. pages.‟
Raivo on sündinud tuhande üheksasaja „Raivo was born in 1971.‟
seitsmekümne esimesel aastal.
Eksam toimub kolmesaja kolmekümne „The examination is given in the
esimeses auditooriumis. 331st lecture hall.‟
Pronouns
Personal pronouns
55
The short forms of the personal pronouns are the ones normally used, the
long forms being used when the pronoun is stressed..
Vabandage, kas teie olete Lauri? „Excuse me, are You Lauri?‟
Vabandage, kas te olete vaba? „Excuse me, are You free?‟
Sa oled ju Hanno? „You must be Hanno?‟
Ja sina Peeter? „And You (must be) Peeter?‟
Reflexive pronouns
Demonstrative pronouns
56
Reciprocal pronouns
Tiit ja Tõnu tunnevad teineteist juba „Tiit and Tõnu have already known
ammu. each other for a long time.‟
Tiit, Tõnu ja Toomas tunnevad „Tiit, Tõnu, and Toomas have known
üksteist juba kooliajast. each other since their schooldays.‟
ADVERBS
Adverbs of place
In answer to the questions: kuhu? „where (to)?, kus? „where (at)?‟, kust? „where
(from)?‟
Vaatame, mis siin on. „Let‟s look and see what‟s here.‟
Kas astume sisse? „Should we walk in?‟
Kuhu te soovite sõita? „Where do You want to go to?
Kus on siin lähim toidupood? „Where (at) is the nearest food store
(around) here?
Kust ma võiksin takso saada? „Where can I get a taxi from?
57
Adverbs of time
In answer to the questions: millal? „when?‟, kui tihti? „how often?‟, kui kaua?
„how long?‟
täna „today‟, nüüd „now, eile „yesterday‟, homme „tomorrow‟, üleeile „the day
before yesterday‟, ülehomme „the day after tomorrow, alati „always‟, varsti
„soon‟, siis „then‟, hilja „late‟.
Adverbs of manner
In answer to the questions: kuidas „how?‟; mil moel? „in what manner?‟
Adverbs of manner are formed from adjectives:
ADJECTIVE ADVERB
Nominative Genitive sg.
õnnelik „happy‟ õnneliku õnnelikult
tegelik „real, genuine‟ tegeliku tegelikult
kindel „certain‟ kindla kindlasti
tähelepanelik „attentive‟ tähelepaneliku tähelepanelikult
58
Adverbs of quantity and degree indicate quantity, degree and amount:
palju „much, a lot‟, rohkem „more‟, pisut „a little‟, vähe „little‟, üsna „rather‟
Maja ümber oli ilus aed. „Around the house there was a
beautiful garden.‟
Taksopeatus on sadama ees. „The taxi stand is in front of the
harbor.‟
B. Temporal relationships:
Ega me enne õhtut tagasi ei jõua. „We won‟t be able to return before
evening.‟
Pärast lõunat lähme jalutama. „After lunch we‟re going for a walk.‟
SENTENCE STRUCTURE
Word order
59
the context in which the sentence will appear, occurs at the end of the
sentence.
This is the pattern used when the predicate verb, direct object, or adverbial
complement contains the most new information.
60
This is the pattern which is used when the subject of the sentence contains
more new information than the other components of the sentence.
As a general rule, the predicate verb of an Estonian sentence will occupy the
second position, following either the subject or an adverbial complement. A
predicate verb can be emphasized by placing it in sentence final position.
Kask, kuusk, mänd, isegi jalakas on. „There are birch, fir, pine – even elm.‟
Questions
A. General questions ask the person to whom they are addressed to respond
affirmatively or negatively to a specific statement. In Estonian general questions
are formed by placing the word KAS at the beginning of the statement
concerned.
Note that questions of this type are usually answered by saying Jaa „Yes‟ or Ei
„No‟. Other possibilities also exist.
B. Alternative questions provide the person to whom they are addressed with
alternative answers. In Estonian these are formed by placing the word KAS at
the beginning of the statement concerned and separating the alternatives using
the conjunction VÕI.
61
Kas täna on esmaspäev või „Is today Monday or Tuesday?‟
teisipäev?
Kas sa soovid teed või kohvi? „Do You want tea or coffee?‟
C. Specific questions ask the person to whom they are addressed to respond
by giving specific information about a situation. This information typically gives
semantic content to a subject, direct object, or adverbial complement. Such
questions begin with a question word indicating the component of the sentence
which lacks semantic content: kus? „where (at)?‟, kuhu? „where (to)?‟, kust?
„where (from)?‟, mis? „what?‟ kes? „who‟ etc.
-JA
-JANNA a person performing a specific activity, a profession
-JATAR
laulma „to sing‟: laulja „singer‟
lauljanna „female singer‟
lauljatar „female singer‟
lugema „to read‟: lugeja „reader‟
müüma „to sell‟: müüja „seller, salesperson‟
müüjanna „saleswoman‟
müüjatar „saleswoman‟
62
-NIK a person of a specific profession or representing a specific situation
in life
aed „garden‟: aednik „gardener‟
kunst „art‟: kunstnik „artist‟
ratsa „astride‟: ratsanik „rider, horseman‟
põgenema „to flee‟: põgenik „fugitive‟
kirjutama „to write‟: kirjanik „writer, author‟
Adjectival suffixes:
Note that, unlike English, Estonian makes a strict distinction between
adjectives (words answering the question missugune? „what kind of?‟) and
adverbs (words answering questions such as kuidas? „how?‟, millal? „when?‟,
etc.).
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-NE
eile – eilne „yesterday – yesterday‟s‟
täna – tänane „today – today‟s‟
homme – homne „tomorrow – tomorrow‟s‟
hilja – hiline „late – late‟
siin – siinne „here – local‟
päev – päevane „day – (concerning) day‟
hommik – hommikune „morning – (concerning) morning‟
lumi – lumine „snow – (concerning, made of) snow‟
talv – talvine „winter – (concerning) winter‟
-LINE
jõud – jõuline „strength – strong‟
torm – tormiline „storm – stormy‟
ajalugu – ajalooline „history – historical‟
meditsiin – meditsiiniline „medicine – medical‟
matemaatika – matemaatiline „mathematics – mathematical‟
-LIK
riik – riiklik „state – (concerning the) state‟
majandus – majanduslik „economics – economic‟
sõber – sõbralik „friend – friendly, amicable‟
õnn – õnnelik „happiness – happy‟
kiri – kirjalik „letter – written, in writing‟
vale – valelik „lie – false‟
-KAS
tuju – tujukas „caprice – capricious‟
nali – naljakas „joke – funny‟
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FREQUENT VERBS WITH IRREGULAR CONJUGATIONS
INDICATIVE MOOD
Present tense:
mina (ma) näen ei näe teen ei tee
sina (sa) näed ei näe teed ei tee
tema (ta) näeb ei näe teeb ei tee
meie (me) näeme ei näe teeme ei tee
teie (te) näete ei näe teete ei tee
nemad (nad) näevad ei näe teevad ei tee
IMPERSONAL nähakse ei nähta tehakse ei tehta
Past tense:
mina (ma) nägin ei näinud tegin ei teinud
sina (sa) nägid ei näinud tegid ei teinud
tema (ta) nägi ei näinud tegi ei teinud
meie (me) nägime ei näinud tegime ei teinud
teie (te) nägite ei näinud tegite ei teinud
nemad (nad) nägid ei näinud tegid ei teinud
IMPERSONAL nähti ei nähtud tehti ei tehtud
The forms of nägema and tegema differ only with resect to their initial
syllable. In the following only the forms of nägema will be given.
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teie (te) olite näinud ei olnud näinud
nemad (nad) olid näinud ei olnud näinud
IMPERSONAL oli nähtud ei olnud nähtud
CONDITIONAL MOOD
Present tense:
mina (ma) näeks(in) ei näeks
sina (sa) näeks(id) ei näeks
tema (ta) näeks ei näeks
meie (me) näeks(ime) ei näeks
teie (te) näeks(ite) ei näeks
nemad (nad) näeks(id) ei näeks
IMPERSONAL nähtaks ei nähtaks
IMPERATIVE MOOD
Present tense:
mina (ma) – –
sina (sa) näe ära näe
tema (ta) nähku ärgu nähku
meie (me) nähkem ärgem nähkem
teie (te) nähke ärge nähke
nemad (nad) nähku ärgu nähku
IMPERSONAL nähtagu ärgu nähtagu
INDICATIVE MOOD
Present tense:
Affirmative:
tooma jooma sööma
mina (ma) toon joon söön
sina (sa) tood jood sööd
tema (ta) toob joob sööb
meie (me) toome joome sööme
teie (te) toote joote sööte
nemad (nad) toovad joovad söövad
IMPERSONAL tuuakse juuakse süüakse
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Negative:
tooma jooma sööma
mina (ma) ei too ei joo ei söö
sina (sa) ei too ei joo ei söö
tema (ta) ei too ei joo ei söö
meie (me) ei too ei joo ei söö
teie (te) ei too ei joo ei söö
nemad (nad) ei too ei joo ei söö
IMPERSONAL ei tooda ei jooda ei sööda
Past tense:
Affirmative:
tooma jooma sööma
mina (ma) tõin jõin sõin
sina (sa) tõid jõid sõid
tema (ta) tõi jõi sõi
meie (me) tõime jõime sõime
teie (te) tõite jõite sõite
nemad (nad) tõid jõid sõid
IMPERSONAL toodi joodi söödi
Negative:
tooma jooma sööma
mina (ma) ei toonud ei joonud ei söönud
sina (sa) ei toonud ei joonud ei söönud
tema (ta) ei toonud ei joonud ei söönud
meie (me) ei toonud ei joonud ei söönud
teie (te) ei toonud ei joonud ei söönud
nemad (nad) ei toonud ei joonud ei söönud
IMPERSONAL ei toodud ei joodud ei söödud
tooma
Affirmative: Negative:
mina (ma) olen toonud ei ole toonud
sina (sa) oled toonud ei ole toonud
tema (ta) on toonud ei ole toonud
meie (me) oleme toonud ei ole toonud
teie (te) olete toonud ei ole toonud
nemad (nad) on toonud ei ole toonud
IMPERSONAL on toodud ei ole toodud
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Past perfect tense:
tooma
Affirmative: Negative:
mina (ma) olin toonud ei olnud toonud
sina (sa) olid toonud ei olnud toonud
tema (ta) oli toonud ei olnud toonud
meie (me) olime toonud ei olnud toonud
teie (te) olite toonud ei olnud toonud
nemad (nad) olid toonud ei olnud toonud
IMPERSONAL oli toodud ei olnud toodud
CONDITIONAL MOOD
Present tense:
mina (ma) tooks(in) ei tooks
sina (sa) tooks(id) ei tooks
tema (ta) tooks ei tooks
meie (me) tooks(ime) ei tooks
teie (te) tooks(ite) ei tooks
nemad (nad) tooks(id) ei tooks
IMPERSONAL toodaks ei toodaks
IMPERATIVE MOOD
Present tense:
mina (ma) – –
sina (sa) too ära too
tema (ta) toogu ärgu toogu
meie (me) toogem ärgem toogem
teie (te) tooge ärge tooge
nemad (nad) toogu ärgu toogu
IMPERSONAL toodagu ärgu toodagu
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INDICATIVE MOOD
Present tense:
mina (ma) lähen ei lähe
sina (sa) lähed ei lähe
tema (ta) läheb ei lähe
meie (me) läheme ei lähe
teie (te) lähete ei lähe
nemad (nad) lähevad ei lähe
IMPERSONAL minnakse ei minda
Past tense:
mina (ma) läksin ei läinud
sina (sa) läksid ei läinud
tema (ta) läks ei läinud
meie (me) läksime ei läinud
teie (te) läksite ei läinud
nemad (nad) läksid ei läinud
IMPERSONAL mindi ei mindud
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CONDITIONAL MOOD
Present tense:
mina (ma) läheks(in) ei läheks
sina (sa) läheks(id) ei läheks
tema (ta) läheks ei läheks
meie (me) läheks(ime) ei läheks
teie (te) läheks(ite) ei läheks
nemad (nad) läheks(id) ei läheks
IMPERSONAL mindaks ei mindaks
IMPERATIVE MOOD
Present tense:
mina (ma) – –
sina (sa) mine ära mine
tema (ta) mingu ärgu mingu
meie (me) mingem ärgem mingem
teie (te) minge ärge minge
nemad (nad) mingu ärgu mingu
IMPERSONAL mindagu ärgu mindagu
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hea „good‟, pea „head‟
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