1- ESTONIAN ALPHABET
2- WORD ORDER
1 Basic S + V Ma magan. I sleep.
2 Direct object S + V + DO Ma loen raamatut. I read the book.
3 Indirect object S + V + IO + DO Ma annan talle raamatu. I give him/her the book.
4 Beneficiary S + V + DO + jaoks + person Ma ostan talle raamatu. I buy a book for him/her.
5 IO pronoun S + V + IO pronoun + DO Ma annan talle raamatu. I give him/her the book.
6 Adjective S + olema + Adj Raamat on suur. The book is big.
7 Adverb S + V + Adv Ta loeb kiiresti. He/she reads quickly.
8 Direct object + adverb S + V + DO + Adv Ma loen raamatut kiiresti. I read the book quickly.
9 Time adverb S + V + Adv(time) Ma töötan täna. I work today.
10 Place adverb S + V + Adv(place) Ta elab seal. He/she lives there.
11 Prepositional phrase S + olema + location Raamat on laual. The book is on the table.
12 DO + location S + V + DO + location Ma panen raamatu lauale. I put the book on the table.
13 Determiner + noun Dem + N See raamat on uus. This book is new.
14 Determiner + adjective + noun Dem + Adj + N See suur raamat on uus. This big book is new.
15 Numeral + noun Num + N Kaks raamatut on uued. Two books are new.
16 Conjunction Clause + Conj + Clause Ma loen ja ta kirjutab. I read and he/she writes.
17 Conjunction + objects S + V + DO + Conj + S + V + DO Ma loen raamatut ja ta kirjutab kirja. I read the book and he/she writes a letter.
18 Present passive S + passive + PP Raamatut loetakse. The book is read / is being read.
19 Passive + agent S + passive + PP + poolt + Agent Raamatut loetakse õpetaja poolt. The book is read by the teacher.
20 Passive + IO S + passive + PP + IO Raamat antakse talle. The book is given to him/her.
21 Passive + IO + agent S + passive + PP + IO + agent Raamatu annab talle õpetaja. The book is given to him/her by the teacher.
22 Passive + adverb S + passive + PP + Adv Raamatut loetakse täna. The book is being read today.
23 Passive + location S + passive + PP + location Raamat pannakse lauale. The book is being put on the table.
24 Passive + agent + adverb S + passive + PP + agent + Adv Raamatut loetakse täna õpetaja poolt. The book is being read by the teacher today.
25 Passive + agent + IO + adverb S + passive + PP + IO + agent + Adv Raamat antakse täna õpetaja poolt õpilasele. The book is given to the student by the teacher today.
26 Perfect passive S + olema + PP Raamat on loetud. The book has been read.
27 Perfect passive + agent S + olema + PP + agent Raamat on õpetaja poolt loetud. The book has been read by the teacher.
28 Future passive S + future expression + passive Raamatut loetakse homme. The book will be read tomorrow.
29 Future passive + agent S + future expression + passive + agent Raamatut loetakse homme õpetaja poolt. The book will be read by the teacher tomorrow.
30 Modal passive S + modal + passive infinitive Raamat tuleb läbi lugeda. The book must be read.
31 Negative S + ei + V + ... Ma ei loe raamatut. I do not read the book.
32 Negative passive S + ei + passive Raamatut ei loeta õpetaja poolt. The book is not read by the teacher.
33 Yes/no question Kas + S + V...? Kas sa loed raamatut? Do you read the book?
34 Passive question Kas + S + passive? Kas raamatut loetakse? Is the book being read?
35 Agent question Kelle poolt + passive? Kelle poolt raamatut loetakse? By whom is the book being read?
36 IO question Kellele + S + V + DO? Kellele sa raamatu annad? To whom do you give the book?
37 Imperative V + DO Loe raamatut! Read the book!
38 Imperative + IO V + IO + DO Anna talle raamat! Give him/her the book!
39 Passive imperative Las + S + passive Las raamatut loetakse! Let the book be read!
40 Infinitive V-da lugeda to read
41 Infinitive + DO DO + V-da raamatut lugeda to read the book
42 Passive infinitive passive + V-da lugeda to be read
43 Purpose S + V + et + V-da Ma söön, et mängida. I eat to play / in order to play.
44 Relative clause N + kes/mis + clause Raamat, mida ma loen, on huvitav. The book that I read is interesting.
45 Passive relative N + mis + passive clause Raamat, mida õpetaja loeb, on huvitav. The book that is being read by the teacher is interesting.
46 Conditional Kui + clause, clause Kui mul on aega, siis ma loen. If I have time, I read.
47 Conditional + passive Kui + passive clause, clause Kui raamatut loetakse, siis ta õpib. If the book is read, he/she learns.
48 Reported speech S + ütlema + et + clause Ta ütleb, et ta loeb. He/she says that he/she reads.
49 Reported question S + küsima + kas + clause Ta küsib, kas ma loen. He/she asks if I read.
50 Reported command/request S + paluma + Obj + et + conditional Ta palub mul lugeda. He/she asks me to read.
ADVERBS:
1 Manner Adverb + Verb / usually before or after the verb Ma loen seda raamatut kiiresti. I read this book quickly.
2 Place Place expression + Verb / usually before or after the verb Ma loen seda raamatut kodus. I read this book at home.
3 Time Time expression + Sentence / beginning, middle, or end Ma lugesin seda raamatut eile. I read this book yesterday.
4 Frequency Frequency adverb + Verb / usually before the verb Ma loen sageli raamatuid. I often read books.
5 Frequency + be Frequency adverb + olema + Predicate Ta on alati õnnelik. He is always happy.
6 Frequency + auxiliary Frequency adverb + Verb / Estonian usually does not require an auxiliary in the perfect Ma pole seda kunagi näinud. I have never seen this.
7 Degree Degree adverb + Adjective See on väga hea. This is very good.
8 Degree + verb Degree adverb + Verb Mulle tõesti meeldib see. I really like this.
9 Sentence adverb Sentence adverb + Clause / usually beginning Õnneks ma võitsin. Fortunately, I won.
10 Comment adverb Comment expression + Clause / usually beginning Ausalt öeldes, ma ei tea. Honestly, I don't know.
11 Linking adverb Linking adverb + Clause / usually beginning Ma olin väsinud, kuid jätkasin töötamist. I was tired; however, I continued working.
12 Direction Directional adverb + Verb / often with motion verb Ta läks välja. He went outside.
13 Definite frequency Definite frequency expression + Verb Ma käin seal iga päev. I go there every day.
14 Duration Duration expression + Verb Ma õppisin kaks tundi. I studied for two hours.
15 Purpose et + Verb / purpose clause Ma lähen sinna, et õppida. I am going there to study.
INDIRECT OBJECT:
Basic IO S + V + IO + DO Ma annan talle raamatu. I give him/her the book.
Person IO S + V + person-le + DO Ma annan Jaanile raamatu. I give Jaan the book.
Pronoun IO S + V + pronoun-le + DO Ma annan sulle raamatu. I give you the book.
Beneficiary S + V + beneficiary-le + DO Ma ostan talle raamatu. I buy him/her a book.
IO question Kellele + S + V + DO? Kellele sa raamatu annad? To whom do you give the book?
GENITIVE:
Possession GEN + N mehe auto the man's car
"Of" relationship GEN + N maja uks the door of the house
Possessive pronoun GEN + N minu raamat my book
Name possession Name + N Jaani auto Jaan's car
Adjective phrase GEN + Adj + N mehe suur maja the man's big house
Total object S + V + GEN object Ma loen raamatu. I read the book completely.
Relative possession kelle/mille + N mees, kelle auto... the man whose car...
Case formation GEN stem + case ending raamatu → raamatus book → in the book
English With noun Independent possessive Estonian
my / mine minu raamat minu oma my book / mine
your / yours sinu raamat sinu oma your book / yours
his / hers tema raamat tema oma his/her book / his/hers
our / ours meie raamat meie oma our book / ours
your / yours teie raamat teie oma your book / yours
their / theirs nende raamat nende oma their book / theirs
Function Formation Example English
Possessive Possessive + N minu raamat my book
Independent possessive Possessive + oma See on minu oma. This is mine.
"Whose?" Kelle? / Kelle oma? Kelle oma see on? Whose is this?
Possession with a person GEN + N Jaani auto Jaan's car
"Own" oma oma raamat one's own book
WAS GOING TO:
Was going to / planned to S + kavatses + da-infinitive Ma kavatsesin süüa. I was going to eat.
Was planning to S + plaanis + da-infinitive Ma plaanisin süüa. I was planning to eat.
Was intending to S + tahtis + da-infinitive Ma tahtsin süüa. I intended/wanted to eat.
Was about to S + hakkas + da-infinitive Ma hakkasin sööma. I was about to eat / I started eating.
Was supposed to S + pidi + da-infinitive Ma pidin sööma. I was supposed to eat.
Person kavatsema = was going to plaanima = was planning to tahtma = intended/wanted to hakkama = was about to pidama = was supposed to
I Ma kavatsesin süüa. Ma plaanisin süüa. Ma tahtsin süüa. Ma hakkasin sööma. Ma pidin sööma.
You (sg.) Sa kavatsesid süüa. Sa plaanisid süüa. Sa tahtsid süüa. Sa hakkasid sööma. Sa pidid sööma.
He/She Ta kavatses süüa. Ta plaanis süüa. Ta tahtis süüa. Ta hakkas sööma. Ta pidi sööma.
We Me kavatsesime süüa. Me plaanisime süüa. Me tahtsime süüa. Me hakkasime sööma. Me pidime sööma.
You (pl.) Te kavatsesite süüa. Te plaanisite süüa. Te tahtsite süüa. Te hakkasite sööma. Te pidite sööma.
They Nad kavatsesid süüa. Nad plaanisid süüa. Nad tahtsid süüa. Nad hakkasid sööma. Nad pidid sööma.
2- NOUNS
PLURAL:
maja -> majad houses
auto -> autod cars
raamat -> raamatud books
laps -> lapsed children
1. Nominative nimetav — raamat book (subject)
2. Genitive omastav — raamatu of the book
3. Partitive osastav -t — raamatut part of book / object
4. Illative sisseütlev -sse — raamatusse into the book
5. Inessive seesütlev -s — raamatus in the book
6. Elative seestütlev -st — raamatust out of the book
7. Allative alaleütlev -le — raamatule onto/to the book
8. Adessive alalütlev -l — raamatul on/at the book
9. Ablative alaltütlev -lt — raamatult from the book
10. Translative saav -ks — raamatuks into/become a book
11. Terminative rajav -ni — raamatuni until the book
12. Essive olev -na — raamatuna as a book
13. Abessive ilmaütlev -ta — raamatuta without a book
14. Comitative kaasaütlev -ga — raamatuga with a book
Nominative raamatud books
Genitive raamatute of the books
Partitive raamatuid books (partial)
Illative raamatutesse into the books
Inessive raamatutes in the books
Elative raamatutest out of the books
Allative raamatutele onto/to the books
Adessive raamatutel on the books
Ablative raamatutelt from the books
Translative raamatuteks into books
Terminative raamatuteni until the books
Essive raamatutena as books
Abessive raamatuteta without books
Comitative raamatutega with books
3- ADJECTIVES:
suur maja big house
väike laps small child
ilus linn beautiful city
uus raamat new book
Nominative suur maja big house
Genitive suure maja of the big house
Partitive suurt maja big house (object)
Illative suurde majja into the big house
Inessive suures majas in the big house
Elative suurest majast out of the big house
Allative suurele majale to the big house
Adessive suurel majal on the big house
Ablative suurelt majalt from the big house
Translative suureks majaks into a big house
Terminative suureni majani until the big house
Essive suurena majana as a big house
Abessive suureta majata without a big house
Comitative suurega majaga with a big house
Nominative suured majad big houses
Genitive suurte majade of big houses
Partitive suuri maju big houses (partial)
Inessive suurtes majades in big houses
Elative suurtest majadest out of big houses
Adessive suurtel majadel on big houses
Comitative suurte majadega with big houses
Maja on suur. The house is big.
Auto on uus. The car is new.
Lapsed on rõõmsad. The children are happy.
TO BE VERB:
1. Present Tense
Formation
Subject + olema (present)
Pronoun Verb English
mina (ma) olen I am
sina (sa) oled you are
tema (ta) on he/she is
meie (me) oleme we are
teie (te) olete you are
nemad (nad) on they are
Examples
Ma olen õpetaja.
= I am a teacher.
Sa oled väsinud.
= You are tired.
Ta on kodus.
= He/She is at home.
Me oleme sõbrad.
= We are friends.
Te olete valmis.
= You are ready.
Nad on õnnelikud.
= They are happy.
2. Past Tense (Imperfect)
Formation
Subject + oli / olid / olime...
Pronoun Verb English
ma olin I was
sa olid you were
ta oli he/she was
me olime we were
te olite you were
nad olid they were
Examples
Ma olin kodus.
= I was at home.
Ta oli haige.
= He/She was sick.
Me olime valmis.
= We were ready.
3. Perfect Tense
Formation
Present of olema + olnud
Subject + olema (present) + olnud
Pronoun Example English
ma olen olnud I have been
sa oled olnud you have been
ta on olnud he/she has been
me oleme olnud we have been
te olete olnud you have been
nad on olnud they have been
Examples
Ma olen Eestis olnud.
= I have been in Estonia.
Ta on õpetaja olnud.
= He/She has been a teacher.
4. Pluperfect
Formation
Past of olema + olnud
Subject + olin/oli... + olnud
Pronoun Example English
ma olin olnud I had been
sa olid olnud you had been
ta oli olnud he/she had been
me olime olnud we had been
te olite olnud you had been
nad olid olnud they had been
Example
Ma olin seal olnud.
= I had been there.
5. Future Meaning
Estonian has no separate future tense.
The present tense expresses future time.
Example
Ma olen homme kodus.
= I will be at home tomorrow.
Ta on järgmisel nädalal Tallinnas.
= He/She will be in Tallinn next week.
6. Negative Forms
Present
Formation:
ei + ole
Pronoun Form
ma ei ole
sa ei ole
ta ei ole
me ei ole
te ei ole
nad ei ole
Examples:
Ma ei ole väsinud.
= I am not tired.
Nad ei ole kodus.
= They are not at home.
Past
Formation:
ei + olnud
Examples:
Ma ei olnud kodus.
= I was not at home.
Ta ei olnud haige.
= He/She was not sick.
Perfect
Formation:
ei ole olnud
Example:
Ma ei ole seal olnud.
= I have not been there.
Pluperfect
Formation:
ei olnud olnud
Example:
Ta ei olnud seal olnud.
= He/She had not been there.
7. Questions
Present
Formation:
Kas + subject + verb?
Kas sa oled valmis?
= Are you ready?
Kas ta on kodus?
= Is he/she at home?
Past
Kas sa olid kodus?
= Were you at home?
Perfect
Kas sa oled seal olnud?
= Have you been there?
8. Imperative
Person Form English
singular ole be!
plural olge be!
Examples:
Ole rahulik!
= Be calm!
Olge ettevaatlikud!
= Be careful!
9. Conditional
Formation:
oleks
Pronoun Form
ma oleksin
sa oleksid
ta oleks
me oleksime
te oleksite
nad oleksid
Example:
Ma oleksin õnnelik.
= I would be happy.
10. Quotative (Reported Mood)
Formation:
olevat
Example:
Ta ütles end olevat väsinud.
= He/She said that he/she was tired.
4- PRONOUNS:
1. mina / ma = I
Case — Estonian — Meaning
Nominative — mina / ma — I
Genitive — minu / mu — my, of me
Partitive — mind — me
Illative — minusse — into me
Inessive — minus — in me
Elative — minust — out of me
Allative — minule / mulle — to me
Adessive — minul / mul — on me, at me
Ablative — minult — from me
Translative — minuks — into me, as me
Terminative — minuni — until me
Essive — minuna — as me
Abessive — minuta — without me
Comitative — minuga — with me
2. sina / sa = you (singular)
Case — Estonian — Meaning
Nominative — sina / sa — you
Genitive — sinu / su — your, of you
Partitive — sind — you
Illative — sinusse — into you
Inessive — sinus — in you
Elative — sinust — out of you
Allative — sinule / sulle — to you
Adessive — sinul / sul — at you, you have
Ablative — sinult — from you
Translative — sinuks — into you, as you
Terminative — sinuni — until you
Essive — sinuna — as you
Abessive — sinuta — without you
Comitative — sinuga — with you
3. tema / ta = he / she
Case — Estonian — Meaning
Nominative — tema / ta — he/she
Genitive — tema / ta — his/her
Partitive — teda — him/her
Illative — temasse — into him/her
Inessive — temas — in him/her
Elative — temast — out of him/her
Allative — temale / talle — to him/her
Adessive — temal / tal — on him/her
Ablative — temalt — from him/her
Translative — temaks — into him/her
Terminative — temani — until him/her
Essive — temana — as him/her
Abessive — temata — without him/her
Comitative — temaga — with him/her
4. meie / me = we
Case — Estonian — Meaning
Nominative — meie / me — we
Genitive — meie / me — our
Partitive — meid — us
Illative — meisse — into us
Inessive — meis — in us
Elative — meist — out of us
Allative — meile — to us
Adessive — meil — at us
Ablative — meilt — from us
Translative — meiks — into us
Terminative — meieni — until us
Essive — meiena — as us
Abessive — meieta — without us
Comitative — meiega — with us
5. teie / te = you (plural/formal)
Case — Estonian — Meaning
Nominative — teie / te — you
Genitive — teie / te — your
Partitive — teid — you
Illative — teisse — into you
Inessive — teis — in you
Elative — teist — out of you
Allative — teile — to you
Adessive — teil — at you
Ablative — teilt — from you
Translative — teiks — into you
Terminative — teieni — until you
Essive — teiena — as you
Abessive — teieta — without you
Comitative — teiega — with you
6. nemad / nad = they
Case — Estonian — Meaning
Nominative — nemad / nad — they
Genitive — nende — their
Partitive — neid — them
Illative — neisse — into them
Inessive — neis — in them
Elative — neist — out of them
Allative — neile — to them
Adessive — neil — at them
Ablative — neilt — from them
Translative — nendeks — into them
Terminative — nendeni — until them
Essive — nendena — as them
Abessive — nendeta — without them
Comitative — nendega — with them
Demonstrative Pronouns
see = this / it
Case — Form
Nominative — see
Genitive — selle
Partitive — seda
Illative — sellesse
Inessive — selles
Elative — sellest
Allative — sellele
Adessive — sellel
Ablative — sellelt
Translative — selleks
Terminative — selleni
Essive — sellena
Abessive — selleta
Comitative — sellega
too = that
Case — Form
Nominative — too
Genitive — tolle
Partitive — toda
Illative — tollesesse
Inessive — tolles
Elative — tollest
Allative — tollele
Adessive — tollel
Ablative — tollelt
Translative — tolleks
Terminative — tolleni
Essive — tollena
Abessive — tolleta
Comitative — tollega
myself — ise / ennast / end
yourself — ise / ennast / end
himself — ise / ennast / end
herself — ise / ennast / end
ourselves — ise / ennast / end
yourselves — ise / ennast / end
themselves — ise / ennast / end
A) ise = self (emphasis)
enda / enese = one's own / oneself (possessive)
ennast / end = oneself (object)
Nominative
See on raamat. = This is a book.
Genitive
Selle raamatu kaas on ilus. = The cover of this book is beautiful.
Partitive
Ma loen seda. = I read this.
Illative
Ma vaatan sellesse kasti. = I look into this box.
Inessive
Selles majas elan ma. = I live in this house.
Elative
Ma tulen sellest kohast. = I come from this place.
Allative
Ma lähen sellele teele. = I go onto this road.
Comitative
Ma teen seda sellega. = I do it with this.
Nominative
Sa oled õpetaja. = You are a teacher.
Genitive
Sinu auto on uus. = Your car is new.
Partitive
Ma näen sind. = I see you.
Illative
Ma usun sinusse. = I believe in you.
Inessive
Minus ja sinus on erinevus. = There is a difference between me and you.
Elative
Ma räägin sinust. = I talk about you.
Allative
Ma annan selle sulle. = I give this to you.
Adessive
Sul on hea idee. = You have a good idea.
Ablative
Ma kuulsin seda sinult. = I heard it from you.
Abessive
Ma ei saa elada sinuta. = I cannot live without you.
Comitative
Ma lähen sinuga. = I go with you.
5- VERB TENSES:
We form a tense using the verb stem:
Regular stem: get rid of the infinitive ending
mina — elan — I live
sina — elad — you live
tema — elab — he/she lives
meie — elame — we live
teie — elate — you live
nemad — elavad — they live
mina — elasin — I lived
sina — elasid — you lived
tema — elas — he/she lived
meie — elasime — we lived
teie — elasite — you lived
nemad — elasid — they lived
mina — olen elanud — I have lived
sina — oled elanud — you have lived
tema — on elanud — he/she has lived
meie — oleme elanud — we have lived
teie — olete elanud — you have lived
nemad — on elanud — they have lived
mina — olin elanud — I had lived
sina — olid elanud — you had lived
tema — oli elanud — he/she had lived
meie — olime elanud — we had lived
teie — olite elanud — you had lived
nemad — olid elanud — they had lived
mina — hakkan elama — I am going to live
sina — hakkad elama — you are going to live
tema — hakkab elama — he/she is going to live
meie — hakkame elama — we are going to live
teie — hakkate elama — you are going to live
nemad — hakkavad elama — they are going to live
mina — olen elamas — I am living
sina — oled elamas — you are living
tema — on elamas — he/she is living
meie — oleme elamas — we are living
teie — olete elamas — you are living
nemad — on elamas — they are living
mina — olin elamas — I was living
sina — olid elamas — you were living
tema — oli elamas — he/she was living
meie — olime elamas — we were living
teie — olite elamas — you were living
nemad — olid elamas — they were living
mina — olen homme elamas — I will be living
sina — oled homme elamas — You will be living
tema — on homme elamas — He/she will be living
meie — oleme homme elamas — We will be living
teie — olete homme elamas — You will be living
nemad — on homme elamas — They will be living
mina — olen olnud elamas — I have been living
sina — oled olnud elamas — you have been living
tema — on olnud elamas — he/she has been living
meie — oleme olnud elamas — we have been living
teie — olete olnud elamas — you have been living
nemad — on olnud elamas — they have been living
mina — olin olnud elamas — I had been living
sina — olid olnud elamas — you had been living
tema — oli olnud elamas — he/she had been living
meie — olime olnud elamas — we had been living
teie — olite olnud elamas — you had been living
nemad — olid olnud elamas — they had been living
future time expression + perfect
6- PASSIVE TENSES:
Passive present kirjuta + takse kirjutatakse is written
Passive past kirjuta + ti kirjutati was written
Passive perfect on + kirjutatud on kirjutatud has been written
Passive pluperfect oli + kirjutatud oli kirjutatud had been written
Passive future present passive + time kirjutatakse homme will be written
Passive continuous kirjutamisel on kirjutamisel is being written
Passive past continuous oli kirjutamisel was being written
Passive perfect continuous on olnud kirjutamisel has been being written
Passive past perfect continuous oli olnud kirjutamisel had been being written
7- NEGATION:
mina ma elan
sina sa elad
tema ta elab
meie me elame
teie te elate
nemad nad elavad
mina ma ei elanud I did not live
sina sa ei elanud you did not live
tema ta ei elanud he/she did not live
meie me ei elanud we did not live
teie te ei elanud you did not live
nemad nad ei elanud they did not live
Ma ei kirjutanud. = I did not write.
Ta ei söönud. = He/She did not eat.
mina ma ei olnud elanud I had not lived
sina sa ei olnud elanud you had not lived
tema ta ei olnud elanud he/she had not lived
meie me ei olnud elanud we had not lived
teie te ei olnud elanud you had not lived
nemad nad ei olnud elanud they had not lived
8- QUESTIONS:
YES/NO QUESTIONS:
Kas + sentence
Ma elan Eestis. Kas sa elad Eestis? Do you live in Estonia?
Ta elab siin. Kas ta elab siin? Does he/she live here?
Me elame Tallinnas. Kas te elate Tallinnas? Do you live in Tallinn?
QUESTION WORDS:
kes who
mis what
kus where
kuhu where to
kust where from
millal when
miks why
kuidas how
milline which / what kind
kumb which (of two)
kui palju how much / how many
kelle whose
kellega with whom
kellele to whom
Kui palju see maksab? How much does it cost?
Miks sa naerad? Why are you laughing?
9- ADVERBS:
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 hästi hästi well Ta räägib hästi. — He speaks well.
2 halvasti halvasti badly Ta käitus halvasti. — He behaved badly.
3 kiiresti kiiresti quickly Ta jookseb kiiresti. — He runs quickly.
4 aeglaselt aeglaselt slowly Ta kõnnib aeglaselt. — He walks slowly.
5 vaikselt vaikselt quietly Ta rääkis vaikselt. — He spoke quietly.
6 valjusti valjusti loudly Ta rääkis valjusti. — He spoke loudly.
7 rahulikult rahulikult calmly Ta vastas rahulikult. — He answered calmly.
8 ettevaatlikult ettevaatlikult carefully Ta sõitis ettevaatlikult. — He drove carefully.
9 hoolikalt hoolikalt carefully Ta töötas hoolikalt. — He worked carefully.
10 kergesti kergesti easily Seda saab kergesti teha. — It can be done easily.
11 raskesti raskesti with difficulty Ta hingas raskesti. — He breathed with difficulty.
12 lihtsalt lihtsalt simply/easily Seda saab lihtsalt teha. — It can be done simply.
13 täpselt täpselt exactly/precisely Ta vastas täpselt. — He answered precisely.
14 selgelt selgelt clearly Ta rääkis selgelt. — He spoke clearly.
15 otse otse directly Mine otse koju. — Go directly home.
16 kaudselt kaudselt indirectly See mõjutab meid kaudselt. — It affects us indirectly.
17 äkki äkki suddenly Ta äkki lahkus. — He suddenly left.
18 korraga korraga suddenly/all at once Kõik rääkisid korraga. — Everyone spoke at once.
19 meelega meelega deliberately Ta tegi seda meelega. — He did it deliberately.
20 kogemata kogemata accidentally Ma tegin seda kogemata. — I did it accidentally.
21 koos koos together Me töötame koos. — We work together.
22 üksi üksi alone Ta elab üksi. — He lives alone.
23 eraldi eraldi separately Nad töötasid eraldi. — They worked separately.
24 tasuta tasuta for free Sissepääs on tasuta. — Admission is free.
2. Time adverbs — millal? “when?”
Estonian English Example
nüüd now Ma teen seda nüüd. — I am doing it now.
praegu now, currently Ta töötab praegu. — He is working now.
hetkel at the moment Ta on hetkel kodus. — He is currently at home.
täna today Ma töötan täna. — I work today.
eile yesterday Ta tuli eile. — He came yesterday.
üleeile the day before yesterday Ta saabus üleeile. — He arrived the day before yesterday.
homme tomorrow Ma lähen homme. — I will go tomorrow.
ülehomme the day after tomorrow Me kohtume ülehomme. — We will meet the day after tomorrow.
hommikul in the morning Ma töötan hommikul. — I work in the morning.
hommikuti in the mornings Ta jookseb hommikuti. — He runs in the mornings.
päeval during the day Ta töötab päeval. — He works during the day.
õhtul in the evening Me kohtume õhtul. — We meet in the evening.
õhtuti in the evenings Ta loeb õhtuti. — He reads in the evenings.
öösel at night Ta töötab öösel. — He works at night.
öösiti at nights Ta ärkab öösiti. — He wakes up at night.
varsti soon Ma tulen varsti. — I will come soon.
kohe immediately/soon Ma tulen kohe. — I will come immediately.
otsekohe immediately Ta vastas otsekohe. — He answered immediately.
hiljem later Ma helistan hiljem. — I will call later.
varem earlier/before Ma olen siin varem käinud. — I have been here before.
enne before Ma nägin teda enne. — I saw him before.
pärast afterward/after Me rääkisime pärast. — We talked afterward.
hiljuti recently Ta saabus hiljuti. — He arrived recently.
äsja just/recently Ta lahkus äsja. — He just left.
ammu long ago Ta elas siin ammu. — He lived here long ago.
juba already Ta on juba siin. — He is already here.
veel still/yet Ta on veel siin. — He is still here.
endiselt still Ta töötab endiselt siin. — He still works here.
ikka still/continually Ta töötab ikka siin. — He still works here.
jälle again Ta tuli jälle. — He came again.
uuesti again/anew Proovi uuesti. — Try again.
taas again/once more Ta tuli taas tagasi. — He came back again.
lõpuks finally Ta lõpuks nõustus. — He finally agreed.
viimaks finally/at last Ta saabus viimaks. — He finally arrived.
vahepeal meanwhile/in the meantime Vahepeal läks ta koju. — Meanwhile, he went home.
samal ajal at the same time Nad töötasid samal ajal. — They worked at the same time.
edaspidi from now on/in future Edaspidi olen ettevaatlikum. — From now on I will be more careful.
esialgu initially/for now Esialgu jääme siia. — For now we will stay here.
ajutiselt temporarily Ta elab siin ajutiselt. — He lives here temporarily.
alaliselt permanently Ta elab siin alaliselt. — He lives here permanently.
3. Frequency adverbs
Estonian Pronunciation English
alati alati always
sageli sageli often
tihti tihti often
harva harva rarely
mõnikord mõnikord sometimes
vahel vahel sometimes
aeg-ajalt aeg-ajalt occasionally
ükskord ükskord once
korduvalt korduvalt repeatedly
jälle jälle again
ikka ikka still/continually
endiselt endiselt still
alati alati always
kunagi kunagi ever/once
mitte kunagi mitte kunagi never
eales eales ever
iial iial ever
üha üha increasingly/continually
pidevalt pidevalt constantly
alatasa alatasa constantly
järjepidevalt järjepidevalt consistently
regulaarselt regulaarselt regularly
igapäevaselt igapäevaselt daily
iganädalaselt iganädalaselt weekly
igakuiselt igakuiselt monthly
iga-aastaselt iga-aastaselt annually
Examples:
Ta käib siin sageli.
He often comes here.
Ma ei söö seda kunagi.
I never eat this.
Ta töötab pidevalt.
He works constantly.
4. Place adverbs — kus? “where?”
Estonian English Example
siin here Ma olen siin. — I am here.
seal there Ta on seal. — He is there.
siinsamas right here Ta seisab siinsamas. — He is standing right here.
sealsamas right there Raamat on sealsamas. — The book is right there.
kusagil somewhere Ta elab kusagil siin. — He lives somewhere here.
kuskil somewhere Ta on kuskil väljas. — He is somewhere outside.
mitte kuskil nowhere Seda pole mitte kuskil. — It is nowhere.
mitte kusagil nowhere Ta ei ela mitte kusagil siin. — He does not live anywhere here.
igal pool everywhere Neid on igal pool. — They are everywhere.
kõikjal everywhere Seda näeb kõikjal. — You see it everywhere.
mujal elsewhere Ta elab mujal. — He lives elsewhere.
üleval upstairs/above Ta on üleval. — He is upstairs.
all downstairs/below Ta ootab all. — He is waiting downstairs.
ees in front/ahead Auto on ees. — The car is ahead.
taga behind Auto on taga. — The car is behind.
kõrval beside Ta istub kõrval. — He sits beside [me].
lähedal nearby Kool on lähedal. — The school is nearby.
kaugel far away Ta elab kaugel. — He lives far away.
kodus at home Ta on kodus. — He is at home.
väljas outside Lapsed mängivad väljas. — The children are playing outside.
sees inside Ta on sees. — He is inside.
ümber around Nad kõndisid ümber. — They walked around.
kõrvuti side by side Nad istusid kõrvuti. — They sat side by side.
5. Direction / movement adverbs
Estonian English
siia here, to here
sinna there, to there
kuhugi somewhere, to somewhere
mitte kuhugi nowhere, to nowhere
igale poole everywhere, to every place
mujale elsewhere, to elsewhere
üles up
alla down
ette forward/in front
taha backward/to behind
kõrvale aside/to the side
lähedale close/near
kaugele far away
koju homeward/to home
välja out
sisse in/inside
tagasi back
edasi forward/onward
mööda past/along
ringi around
läbi through
eemale away
juurde to/near
järele after/behind
vastu toward/against
poole toward
Examples:
Mine sinna.
Go there.
Tule siia.
Come here.
Ta läks välja.
He went outside.
Ta tuli tagasi.
He came back.
Mine edasi.
Go forward.
6. Degree adverbs
Estonian English
väga very
äärmiselt extremely
ülimalt extremely
eriti especially/particularly
üsna quite/rather
päris quite/really
küllalt fairly/enough
piisavalt sufficiently
liiga too
liialt excessively/too
nii so
nõnda so/thus
sedavõrd to such an extent
niivõrd to such an extent
täiesti completely
täielikult completely
absoluutselt absolutely
täiel määral completely
peaaegu almost
peagu almost
vaevalt hardly
napilt narrowly/barely
pisut slightly
veidi a little
natuke a little
väheke a little
mõnevõrra somewhat
osaliselt partially
üpris rather/quite
suhteliselt relatively
äärmiselt extremely
Examples:
Ta on väga tark.
He is very intelligent.
See on liiga kallis.
It is too expensive.
Ta on peaaegu valmis.
He is almost ready.
7. Quantity adverbs
Estonian English
palju much/many/a lot
vähe little/few
rohkem more
vähem less/fewer
kõige rohkem the most
kõige vähem the least
piisavalt enough/sufficiently
küllalt enough
liiga palju too much/many
liiga vähe too little/few
nii palju so much/many
nii vähe so little/few
rohkemgi even more
vähemalt at least
kõige enam the most
enam more/anymore
enamasti mostly
peamiselt mainly
Examples:
Mul on palju tööd.
I have a lot of work.
Ta räägib liiga palju.
He talks too much.
Ma tahan rohkem.
I want more.
8. Certainty adverbs
Estonian English
kindlasti certainly/definitely
kahtlemata undoubtedly
vaieldamatult undeniably
tõepoolest indeed
tõesti really/truly
päriselt really/actually
kindlalt certainly/firmly
kahtluseta without doubt
kahtlemata without doubt
vaieldamatult indisputably
loomulikult naturally/of course
muidugi of course
otse loomulikult of course/naturally
igatahes in any case
Examples:
Ta tuleb kindlasti.
He will definitely come.
See on tõesti oluline.
This is really important.
Muidugi ma aitan.
Of course I will help.
9. Probability adverbs
Estonian English
võib-olla maybe
ehk perhaps/maybe
võimalik, et possibly
tõenäoliselt probably
arvatavasti probably/presumably
ilmselt apparently/probably
nähtavasti apparently
nähtavasti evidently
vist probably, apparently
vististi apparently/probably
vahest perhaps
arvatavasti presumably
tõenäoliselt most likely
vaevalt hardly/probably not
võimalik possible
Examples:
Võib-olla tuleb ta homme.
Maybe he will come tomorrow.
Ta tuleb tõenäoliselt homme.
He will probably come tomorrow.
Ta on vist kodus.
He is probably at home.
10. Negative adverbs and negative words
Estonian English
ei not
mitte not
kunagi ever/never, depending on context
mitte kunagi never
eales ever
iial ever
mitte eales never
mitte iial never
mitte kuskil nowhere
mitte kusagil nowhere
mitte kuhugi nowhere/to nowhere
mitte kuidagi in no way
üldse mitte not at all
sugugi mitte not at all
enam mitte no longer
veel mitte not yet
mitte kunagi enam never again
Examples:
Ma ei tea.
I don't know.
Ma ei lähe mitte kuhugi.
I am going nowhere.
Ta ei tule kunagi.
He never comes.
See ei ole üldse raske.
It is not difficult at all.
11. Interrogative adverbs
These are especially important.
Estonian Pronunciation English
kuidas kuidas how
kus kus where
kuhu kuhu where/to where
kust kust where/from where
millal millal when
miks miks why
kui kui how/as
kui palju kui palju how much/many
kui kaua kui kaua how long
kui tihti kui tihti how often
kui sageli kui sageli how often
kui kaugel kui kaugel how far
kui kiiresti kui kiiresti how quickly
kui aeglaselt kui aeglaselt how slowly
kui vara kui vara how early
kui hilja kui hilja how late
kuivõrd kuivõrd to what extent
milleks milleks for what purpose/why
mispärast mispärast why
miks miks why
Examples:
Kuidas sul läheb?
How are you?
Kus sa elad?
Where do you live?
Kuhu sa lähed?
Where are you going?
Kust sa tuled?
Where are you coming from?
Millal sa tuled?
When are you coming?
Miks sa lähed?
Why are you going?
12. Relative adverbs
Estonian English
kus where
kuhu where/to where
kust where/from where
millal when
kuidas how
miks why
kuivõrd to what extent
nii nagu as/in the way that
nagu as/like
seal, kus where
sinna, kuhu to where
sealt, kust from where
siis, kui when
nii, nagu as
Examples:
See on koht, kus ma elan.
This is the place where I live.
Läheme sinna, kuhu sa tahad.
We will go where you want.
Ma tean, kuidas ta töötab.
I know how he works.
13. Demonstrative adverbs
Estonian English
siin here
seal there
siia to here
sinna to there
siit from here
sealt from there
nii like this/so
nõnda thus/like that
sedasi this way
niimoodi in this way
selliselt in such a way
samamoodi in the same way
seesama this same
samas at the same time/however
sealjuures besides/at the same time
siinjuures here/at this point
Examples:
Tee nii.
Do it like this.
Ta töötab samamoodi.
He works in the same way.
Samas on see väga huvitav.
At the same time/however, it is very interesting.
14. Focus and emphasis adverbs/particles
Estonian English
ainult only
vaid only/but rather
üksnes only
just exactly/just
lausa downright/even
isegi even
ka also/too
samuti also/likewise
eriti especially
peamiselt mainly
eelkõige above all/primarily
just nimelt precisely
nimelt namely
koguni even/as much as
suisa downright/even
ainult only
lihtsalt simply/just
otse directly/precisely
täpselt exactly
Examples:
Ma tahan ainult vett.
I want only water.
Isegi tema tuli.
Even he came.
Ta on eriti tark.
He is especially intelligent.
15. Restrictive adverbs
Estonian English
ainult only
vaid only
üksnes only
kõigest only/merely
pelgalt merely
lihtsalt simply/just
ainult et except that/only that
mitte rohkem kui no more than
maksimaalselt at most
vähemalt at least
Examples:
Mul on ainult kümme eurot.
I have only ten euros.
See maksab kõigest viis eurot.
It costs only five euros.
16. Additive adverbs
Estonian English
ka also/too
samuti also/likewise
lisaks additionally
peale selle besides/in addition
lisaks sellele in addition to that
ühtlasi at the same time/also
veel also/further
samamoodi likewise
pealegi moreover/besides
sealjuures besides/at the same time
Example:
Ta räägib inglise keelt ja samuti saksa keelt.
He speaks English and also German.
17. Contrast and concession
Estonian English
siiski nevertheless/still
ometi nevertheless/yet
aga but
samas however/at the same time
seevastu on the other hand
vastupidi conversely/on the contrary
siiski still/nevertheless
ometi nevertheless
sellest hoolimata nevertheless/despite that
kõigest hoolimata despite everything
sellele vaatamata nevertheless/despite that
vastupidiselt conversely/contrarily
Examples:
Ta oli väsinud, siiski jätkas ta tööd.
He was tired; nevertheless, he continued working.
Samas on see huvitav.
However, it is interesting.
18. Result / consequence adverbs
Estonian English
seega therefore
niisiis therefore/so
järelikult consequently
sellepärast therefore/because of that
seetõttu therefore
selle tõttu because of that/as a result
nõnda thus
nii thus/so
sedasi in this way
niimoodi in this way
järelikult consequently
kokkuvõttes in conclusion/overall
Examples:
Ta oli haige, seega jäi ta koju.
He was sick, therefore he stayed home.
Vihma sadas; seetõttu jäime koju.
It was raining; therefore we stayed home.
19. Cause/reason adverbs
Estonian English
sellepärast because of that
seetõttu therefore/because of that
seepärast therefore/for that reason
seetõttu for that reason
selle tõttu because of this/that
nimelt namely
just seetõttu precisely for that reason
seetõttu, et because
20. Sequence adverbs
Estonian English
alguses at first/in the beginning
esialgu initially
esmalt firstly
esiteks first(ly)
kõigepealt first of all
seejärel thereafter
siis then
pärast afterward
hiljem later
edasi onward/then
järgmisena next
lõpuks finally
viimaks finally/at last
lõppude lõpuks in the end/after all
kokkuvõttes in conclusion
ühtlasi at the same time
Example:
Kõigepealt sööme, seejärel läheme koju.
First we eat, then we go home.
21. Approximation adverbs
Estonian English
umbes approximately/about
ligikaudu approximately
peaaegu almost
peagu almost
enam-vähem more or less
umbkaudu roughly
ligikaudu roughly/approximately
üldjoontes broadly/in general
suuresti largely
osaliselt partially
enamasti mostly
peamiselt mainly
Examples:
See maksab umbes sada eurot.
It costs about one hundred euros.
Ta on peaaegu valmis.
He is almost ready.
22. Comparative adverbs
Estonian English
rohkem more
vähem less
paremini better
halvemini worse
kiiremini faster
aeglasemalt more slowly
kõrgemalt higher
madalamalt lower
varem earlier
hiljem later
kaugemal farther
lähemal closer
parem better
halvem worse
enam more
vähem less
kõige rohkem the most
kõige vähem the least
kõige paremini best
kõige halvemini worst
Examples:
Ta jookseb kiiremini kui mina.
He runs faster than me.
Ta räägib paremini eesti keelt.
He speaks Estonian better.
23. Purpose-related adverbs
Estonian English
selleks for this purpose
selleks, et in order to
selleks otstarbeks for this purpose
meelega deliberately
tahtlikult intentionally
kogemata accidentally
juhuslikult accidentally/by chance
meelega on purpose
sihtlikult deliberately
24. Attitude / speaker-comment adverbs
Estonian English
õnneks fortunately
kahjuks unfortunately
loodetavasti hopefully
ausalt honestly
ausalt öeldes honestly speaking
tegelikult actually
loomulikult naturally/of course
muidugi of course
isiklikult personally
õnneks fortunately
kahjuks unfortunately
üllatavalt surprisingly
imelikult strangely
paraku unfortunately
ilmselt apparently/probably
Examples:
Õnneks jõudsime õigeks ajaks.
Fortunately, we arrived on time.
Kahjuks ei saa ma tulla.
Unfortunately, I cannot come.
Tegelikult on see lihtne.
Actually, it is simple.
25. “How” series
Estonian English
kuidas how
nii so/like this
nõnda thus/so
sedasi this way
niimoodi in this way
samamoodi in the same way
teisiti differently/otherwise
kuidagi somehow
kuidagimoodi somehow
igatmoodi in every way
mitte kuidagi in no way
ükskõik kuidas however/no matter how
nõndaviisi in such a way
Examples:
Kuidas sa seda tegid?
How did you do that?
Tee seda nii.
Do it like this.
Ta tegi seda teisiti.
He did it differently.
Ma ei saa seda kuidagi teha.
I can't do it somehow / I can't manage to do it.
26. “Where” series
Estonian English
kus where
siin here
seal there
kusagil somewhere
kuskil somewhere
mitte kuskil nowhere
kõikjal everywhere
igal pool everywhere
mujal elsewhere
kuhu where/to where
siia to here
sinna to there
kuhugi somewhere/to somewhere
mitte kuhugi nowhere/to nowhere
igale poole everywhere/to every place
mujale elsewhere
kust where/from where
siit from here
sealt from there
kuskilt from somewhere
mitte kuskilt from nowhere
mujalt from elsewhere
27. “When” series
Estonian English
millal when
nüüd now
praegu now
siis then
täna today
eile yesterday
homme tomorrow
enne before
pärast afterward
hiljem later
varem earlier
varsti soon
kohe immediately
hiljuti recently
äsja just
ammu long ago
kunagi ever/once
alati always
mõnikord sometimes
mitte kunagi never
jälle again
vahepeal meanwhile
lõpuks finally
edaspidi from now on
28. “How much / how many” series
Estonian English
kui palju how much/how many
palju much/many
vähe little/few
rohkem more
vähem less/fewer
nii palju so much/many
nii vähe so little/few
piisavalt enough
küllalt enough
liiga palju too much/many
liiga vähe too little/few
vähemalt at least
kõige rohkem the most
kõige vähem the least
enam-vähem more or less
29. Special Estonian adverbial/particle words
These are especially important because they don't always map neatly onto English adverbs.
Estonian English / function
ju you know, after all
ka also, too
siis then
ikka still, indeed
juba already
veel still, yet
alles only/just, still
vaid only/but rather
ainult only
just just/exactly
isegi even
ometi nevertheless
siiski nevertheless
lihtsalt simply/just
üldse at all/generally
tegelikult actually
nimelt namely
muidugi of course
vist probably
ehk perhaps
võib-olla maybe
paraku unfortunately
ometi nevertheless
vähemalt at least
pealegi moreover
igatahes anyway/in any case
üldiselt generally
üldsegi at all
sugugi at all
30. Common compound adverbs
Estonian creates many adverbs productively, especially through combinations.
Estonian English
kõigepealt first of all
seejärel thereafter
vahepeal meanwhile
ülehomme day after tomorrow
üleeile day before yesterday
siinsamas right here
sealsamas right there
samamoodi in the same way
niimoodi in this way
kuidagi somehow
igal pool everywhere
mitte kuskil nowhere
mitte kuhugi nowhere
aeg-ajalt occasionally
öösel at night
hommikuti in the mornings
õhtuti in the evenings
lõppude lõpuks in the end/after all
enam-vähem more or less
järk-järgult gradually
üha enam increasingly
üha rohkem increasingly more
üha vähem increasingly less
üldjoontes broadly/in general
täies ulatuses fully/in its entirety
osaliselt partially
31. Productive Estonian adverb formation
Estonian can form many adverbs from adjectives with -lt.
Adjective Adverb English
kiire kiiresti quickly
aeglane aeglaselt slowly
rahulik rahulikult calmly
täpne täpselt precisely
selge selgelt clearly
ettevaatlik ettevaatlikult carefully
hoolikas hoolikalt carefully
aus ausalt honestly
loomulik loomulikult naturally
tõenäoline tõenäoliselt probably
kindel kindlasti certainly
õnnelik õnnelikult happily
juhuslik juhuslikult accidentally/by chance
tahtlik tahtlikult intentionally
So there cannot be a truly finite list of every possible Estonian adverb, because forms can be productively derived.
32. Important Estonian spatial series
Estonian is particularly systematic with place/direction:
Location To From
siin — here siia — to here siit — from here
seal — there sinna — to there sealt — from there
kus — where kuhu — where to kust — where from
kuskil — somewhere kuhugi — to somewhere kuskilt — from somewhere
mujal — elsewhere mujale — elsewhere/to elsewhere mujalt — from elsewhere
üleval — above/upstairs üles — upward ülalt — from above
all — below/downstairs alla — downward alt — from below
ees — in front ette — to/in front eest — from/in front
taga — behind taha — to behind tagant — from behind
sees — inside sisse — into seest — from inside
väljas — outside välja — out väljast — from outside
kõrval — beside kõrvale — beside/to the side kõrvalt — from beside
lähedal — near lähedale — near/to near lähedalt — from near
kaugel — far kaugele — far away kaugelt — from far away
10- CONJUNCTIONS:
# Estonian Pronunciation English Full example
1 ja yah and Ma loen ja kirjutan. — I read and write.
2 ning ning and, and also Ta tuli ning istus maha. — He came and sat down.
3 ega eh-gah nor Ta ei söö liha ega kala. — He eats neither meat nor fish.
4 või vuh-ee or Kas sa tahad teed või kohvi? — Do you want tea or coffee?
5 aga ah-gah but Ma tahan tulla, aga ma ei saa. — I want to come, but I can't.
6 ent ent but, however Ta on noor, ent väga tark. — He is young, but very intelligent.
7 vaid vyde but rather See ei ole minu raamat, vaid tema raamat. — This is not my book, but rather his/her book.
8 kuid koo-id but, however Ma helistasin, kuid ta ei vastanud. — I called, but he didn't answer.
9 ehk ehk or, or perhaps Kas läheme bussiga ehk rongiga? — Shall we go by bus or train?
10 nii et nee eht so, therefore Mul oli kiire, nii et ma lahkusin. — I was in a hurry, so I left.
Core coordinating set
ja, ning, ega, või, aga, ent, vaid, kuid
These are the most important coordinating conjunctions.
2. Conjunctions of cause/reason
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 sest sest because, for Ma lähen koju, sest ma olen väsinud. — I am going home because I am tired.
2 sellepärast et sel-le-pär-ahst eht because Ma jäin koju, sellepärast et ma olin haige. — I stayed home because I was sick.
3 kuna koo-nah because, since Kuna vihma sajab, jään koju. — Since it is raining, I will stay home.
4 et eht that, so that Ma tean, et ta tuleb. — I know that he/she is coming.
5 sest et sest eht because Ma ei läinud, sest et mul polnud aega. — I didn't go because I had no time.
sest is especially important because it can connect two main clauses:
Ma olen väsinud, sest ma töötasin palju.
I am tired because I worked a lot.
3. Time conjunctions
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 kui koo-ee when, if Kui ma koju jõuan, helistan sulle. — When I get home, I will call you.
2 millal mil-lahl when Ma ei tea, millal ta tuleb. — I don't know when he is coming.
3 kuni koo-nee until, as long as Oota siin, kuni ma tagasi tulen. — Wait here until I come back.
4 enne kui en-neh koo-ee before Ma söön enne kui ma lahkun. — I will eat before I leave.
5 pärast kui pä-rahst koo-ee after Pärast kui ta saabus, läksime koju. — After he arrived, we went home.
6 pärast seda kui pä-rahst seh-dah koo-ee after Pärast seda kui ta tuli, hakkasime sööma. — After he came, we started eating.
7 niipea kui nee-peh-ah koo-ee as soon as Niipea kui ta saabub, alustame. — As soon as he arrives, we will start.
8 samal ajal kui sah-mal ah-yahl koo-ee while, at the same time as Ta luges, samal ajal kui mina kirjutasin. — He read while I wrote.
9 sellal kui sel-lahl koo-ee while, when Sellal kui ta magas, töötasin mina. — While he slept, I worked.
10 seni kuni seh-nee koo-nee until, as long as Oota, seni kuni ma tulen. — Wait until I come.
11 nii kaua kui nee kow-ah koo-ee as long as Jään siia nii kaua kui vaja. — I will stay here as long as necessary.
4. Conditional conjunctions
These introduce if-clauses and other conditions.
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 kui koo-ee if Kui sajab, jään koju. — If it rains, I will stay home.
2 juhul kui yoo-hool koo-ee if, in case Juhul kui ta helistab, ütle talle tõtt. — If he calls, tell him the truth.
3 sel juhul kui sel yoo-hool koo-ee if, in the case that Sel juhul kui ta tuleb, alustame. — If he comes, we will start.
4 tingimusel et ting-ee-moos-el eht provided that Ma tulen, tingimusel et sa aitad mind. — I will come, provided that you help me.
5 eeldusel et eel-doh-sel eht assuming that, provided that Me läheme, eeldusel et ilm paraneb. — We will go, assuming that the weather improves.
6 välja arvatud juhul kui väl-yah ar-vah-tood yoo-hool koo-ee except if Ma tulen, välja arvatud juhul kui olen haige. — I will come, except if I am sick.
7 olgu siis kui ol-goo dees koo-ee whether/if Olgu siis kui ta tuleb või mitte... — Whether he comes or not...
Important
kui is extremely important because it can mean both:
if → Kui mul on aega, tulen. = If I have time, I will come.
when → Kui ma koju jõuan, helistan. = When I get home, I will call.
Context determines the meaning.
5. Concession / contrast conjunctions
These mean although, even though, despite the fact that, etc.
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 kuigi koo-ee-gee although, though Kuigi ma olen väsinud, töötan edasi. — Although I am tired, I continue working.
2 ehkki ehk-kee although, even though Ehkki vihma sadas, läksime välja. — Although it was raining, we went outside.
3 olgugi et ol-goo-gee eht although, even though Olgugi et ta oli haige, tuli ta tööle. — Although he was sick, he came to work.
4 hoolimata sellest et hoo-lee-mah-tah sel-lest eht despite the fact that Hoolimata sellest et sadas vihma, läksime välja. — Despite the fact that it was raining, we went outside.
5 ükskõik kui ük-skõik koo-ee however, no matter how Ükskõik kui raske see on, proovin. — No matter how difficult it is, I will try.
6 ükskõik mida ük-skõik mee-dah whatever Ükskõik mida sa ütled, ma tulen. — Whatever you say, I will come.
7 ükskõik kes ük-skõik kes whoever Ükskõik kes tuleb, ma avan ukse. — Whoever comes, I will open the door.
8 ükskõik kus ük-skõik koos wherever Ükskõik kus sa oled, helista mulle. — Wherever you are, call me.
6. Purpose conjunctions
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 et eht so that Ma räägin aeglaselt, et sa aru saaksid. — I speak slowly so that you can understand.
2 selleks et sel-leks eht in order that, so that Ma õpin, selleks et eksam sooritada. — I study in order to pass the exam.
3 nii et nee eht so that, so Räägi valjemini, nii et kõik kuuleksid. — Speak louder so that everyone can hear.
4 selle nimel et sel-le nee-mel eht for the purpose that Ta töötab, selle nimel et oma peret toetada. — He works in order to support his family.
7. Result / consequence
# Estonian English Example
1 nii et so, so that Oli külm, nii et jäime koju. — It was cold, so we stayed home.
2 nõnda et so that, consequently Ta rääkis vaikselt, nõnda et keegi ei kuulnud. — He spoke quietly, so that nobody heard.
3 sedasi et so that, in such a way that Tee seda sedasi et kõik aru saaksid. — Do it so that everyone understands.
8. Comparison conjunctions
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 nagu nah-goo as, like Ta töötab nagu mina. — He works like me.
2 nagu oleks nah-goo ol-eks as if Ta räägib, nagu oleks ta õpetaja. — He talks as if he were a teacher.
3 just nagu yoost nah-goo just as, just like Ta jooksis just nagu tema vend. — He ran just like his brother.
4 nii nagu nee nah-goo just as, the way Tee seda nii nagu mina teen. — Do it the way I do it.
5 nii...nagu nee...nah-goo as...as Ta on nii tark nagu tema õde. — He is as intelligent as his sister.
6 mida...seda mee-dah...seh-dah the more...the more Mida rohkem loed, seda rohkem õpid. — The more you read, the more you learn.
7 mida...seda vähem mee-dah...seh-dah vah-hem the more...the less Mida rohkem sööd, seda vähem liigud. — The more you eat, the less you move.
9. Complement / statement conjunctions
These introduce a clause functioning as the content of a verb such as know, think, say, believe.
# Estonian English Example
1 et that Ma tean, et ta tuleb. — I know that he is coming.
2 kas whether, if Ma ei tea, kas ta tuleb. — I don't know whether he is coming.
3 kuidas how Ma tean, kuidas seda teha. — I know how to do it.
4 miks why Ma ei tea, miks ta lahkus. — I don't know why he left.
5 millal when Ma ei tea, millal ta saabub. — I don't know when he arrives.
6 kus where Ma tean, kus ta elab. — I know where he lives.
7 mida what Ma tean, mida ta tahab. — I know what he wants.
8 kes who Ma tean, kes ta on. — I know who he is.
Strictly speaking, kuidas, miks, millal, kus, mida, kes are interrogative/relative words rather than conjunctions, but they can introduce subordinate clauses.
10. Correlative conjunctions
These work in pairs.
# Estonian English Example
1 nii...kui ka both...and Ta räägib nii eesti kui ka inglise keelt. — He speaks both Estonian and English.
2 nii...kui both...and Nii mina kui tema tulime. — Both he and I came.
3 ei...ega neither...nor Ma ei söö liha ega kala. — I eat neither meat nor fish.
4 kas...või either...or Kas sa tuled või jääd? — Either you come or stay?
5 kas...või whether...or Kas ta tuleb või mitte, ma lähen. — Whether he comes or not, I will go.
6 mitte ainult...vaid ka not only...but also Ta on mitte ainult tark, vaid ka lahke. — He is not only intelligent but also kind.
7 mitte üksnes...vaid ka not only...but also Ta on mitte üksnes tark, vaid ka töökas. — He is not only intelligent but also hardworking.
8 ükskõik kas...või whether...or, regardless of whether Ükskõik kas sajab või paistab päike, me läheme. — Whether it rains or the sun shines, we will go.
9 mida...seda the more...the more Mida rohkem õpid, seda rohkem tead. — The more you study, the more you know.
10 mida...seda vähem the more...the less Mida rohkem ta räägib, seda vähem ma kuulan. — The more he talks, the less I listen.
11. Alternative conjunctions
Estonian English Example
või or Tee või kohv? — Tea or coffee?
ehk or, perhaps Võime minna homme ehk ülehomme. — We can go tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.
kas...või either...or Kas bussiga või rongiga? — Either by bus or by train?
olgu...või whether...or Olgu suvi või talv, ta töötab. — Whether it is summer or winter, he works.
kasvõi even if, even Ma tulen kasvõi üksi. — I will come even if alone.
12. Exception / exclusion
Estonian English Example
välja arvatud kui except if Ma tulen, välja arvatud kui olen haige. — I will come except if I am sick.
välja arvatud juhul kui except in case/except if Kõik võivad tulla, välja arvatud juhul kui nad on haiged. — Everyone may come except if they are sick.
välja arvatud juhul, kui except in the case that Me läheme, välja arvatud juhul, kui sajab. — We will go except if it rains.
13. “No matter / regardless” constructions
These are very useful Estonian conjunction-like constructions.
Estonian English Example
ükskõik kes whoever Ükskõik kes tuleb, ma avan ukse. — Whoever comes, I will open the door.
ükskõik mis whatever Ükskõik mis juhtub, ma aitan sind. — Whatever happens, I will help you.
ükskõik mida whatever Ükskõik mida ta ütleb, ära muretse. — Whatever he says, don't worry.
ükskõik kus wherever Ükskõik kus sa elad, helista mulle. — Wherever you live, call me.
ükskõik kuhu wherever/to wherever Ükskõik kuhu ta läheb, ma lähen kaasa. — Wherever he goes, I will go along.
ükskõik millal whenever Ükskõik millal sa tuled, olen kodus. — Whenever you come, I will be home.
ükskõik kuidas however/no matter how Ükskõik kuidas sa proovid, see on raske. — No matter how you try, it is difficult.
ükskõik kui however/no matter how Ükskõik kui raske see on, ma proovin. — No matter how difficult it is, I will try.
14. Formal/literary conjunctional expressions
Estonian English
kuivõrd insofar as, to the extent that
sedamööda kuidas according as, as
vastavalt sellele kuidas according to how
sellele vaatamata et despite the fact that
hoolimata sellest et despite the fact that
eeldusel et assuming that, provided that
tingimusel et on condition that
juhul kui in case, if
sel juhul kui in the case that
selleks et in order that
selle nimel et for the purpose that
sõltumata sellest kas regardless of whether
sõltumata sellest, mida regardless of what
sõltumata sellest, kes regardless of who
sõltumata sellest, kus regardless of where
15. Conjunction-like connective words
These are important for connecting ideas, but strictly speaking many are adverbs rather than conjunctions.
Estonian English Example
seega therefore Ta oli haige, seega jäi koju. — He was sick; therefore, he stayed home.
niisiis thus, therefore Niisiis, alustame. — Thus, we begin.
järelikult consequently Ta ei õppinud, järelikult ta ei saanud aru. — He didn't study; consequently, he didn't understand.
sellepärast therefore, for that reason Ta oli väsinud, sellepärast ta lahkus. — He was tired; therefore, he left.
seetõttu therefore, for that reason Vihma sadas, seetõttu jäime koju. — It rained; therefore, we stayed home.
siiski nevertheless, still Ta oli väsinud, siiski töötas ta edasi. — He was tired; nevertheless, he continued working.
ometi nevertheless, yet Ta oli haige, ometi tuli ta tööle. — He was sick; yet he came to work.
samas at the same time, however See on kallis, samas kvaliteetne. — It is expensive; however, it is high-quality.
seevastu whereas, on the other hand Mina töötan, seevastu tema puhkab. — I work, whereas he rests.
vastupidi on the contrary Ta ei ole laisk; vastupidi, ta töötab palju. — He isn't lazy; on the contrary, he works a lot.
lisaks additionally, besides Ta on tark; lisaks on ta lahke. — He is intelligent; additionally, he is kind.
pealegi moreover, besides See on odav ja pealegi hea. — It is cheap and moreover good.
samuti also, likewise Ta räägib eesti keelt ja samuti inglise keelt. — He speaks Estonian and also English.
11- PREPOSITIONS:
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 alla ahl-lah under, downward to Kass läks alla laua. — The cat went under the table.
2 alates ah-lah-tes from, starting from Alates esmaspäevast töötan siin. — From Monday onward, I work here.
3 abil ah-bil with the help of, by means of Ma tegin seda sõbra abil. — I did it with the help of a friend.
4 eest eh-est for, on behalf of; in front of Ta võitles oma riigi eest. — He fought for his country.
5 ilma il-mah without Ma lähen ilma sinuta. — I am going without you.
6 jaoks yah-oks for See kingitus on sinu jaoks. — This gift is for you.
7 läbi lah-bih through Me kõndisime läbi metsa. — We walked through the forest.
8 mööda muh-da along, past Me kõndisime mööda tänavat. — We walked along the street.
9 peale peh-ah-leh onto, after, in addition to Ta pani raamatu lauale peale. — He put the book onto the table.
10 pärast pah-rahst after, because of Pärast tööd lähen koju. — After work, I go home.
11 poole poh-leh toward, in the direction of Ta läks linna poole. — He went toward the city.
12 kohta koh-tah about, concerning, per Mul on küsimus selle kohta. — I have a question about this.
13 vastu vahs-too against, toward Ta toetub vastu seina. — He leans against the wall.
14 üle uh-leh over, across Me kõndisime üle silla. — We walked across the bridge.
15 ümber uhm-ber around Me kõndisime ümber maja. — We walked around the house.
16 enne en-neh before Enne tundi jõin kohvi. — Before class, I drank coffee.
17 kuni koo-nee until, up to Töötan kuni õhtuni. — I work until evening.
18 keset keh-set in the middle of Ta seisis keset tuba. — He stood in the middle of the room.
19 piki pee-kee along Jalutasime piki jõge. — We walked along the river.
20 tänu tä-noo thanks to Tänu sinule sain töö. — Thanks to you, I got the job.
21 tõttu tuh-too because of, due to Vihma tõttu jäime koju. — Because of the rain, we stayed home.
22 vaatamata vah-tah-mah-tah despite, regardless of Vaatamata vihmale läksime välja. — Despite the rain, we went outside.
2. Very common postpositions
A postposition comes after the noun.
This is extremely important in Estonian.
Pattern
Noun + postposition
maja ees
house in front of
= in front of the house
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 ees ees in front of Auto on maja ees. — The car is in front of the house.
2 taga tah-gah behind Auto on maja taga. — The car is behind the house.
3 kõrval kuhr-vahl beside, next to Ta istub minu kõrval. — He sits beside me.
4 juures yoo-res at, by, near Ma olen sõbra juures. — I am at my friend's place.
5 lähedal lah-heh-dahl near Kool on maja lähedal. — The school is near the house.
6 sees sees inside Raamat on koti sees. — The book is inside the bag.
7 peal pehl on, on top of Raamat on laua peal. — The book is on the table.
8 all ahll under Kass on laua all. — The cat is under the table.
9 kohal koh-hahl above, over Lamp ripub laua kohal. — The lamp hangs above the table.
10 vahel vah-hel between, among Ta istub kahe inimese vahel. — He sits between two people.
11 keskel kes-kel in the middle of Ta seisab rahva keskel. — He stands in the middle of the crowd.
12 ümber uhm-ber around Nad istusid laua ümber. — They sat around the table.
13 vastas vahs-tahs opposite, across from Pood on kooli vastas. — The shop is opposite the school.
14 vastu vahs-too against Redel on seina vastu. — The ladder is against the wall.
15 poole poh-leh toward Ta kõndis minu poole. — He walked toward me.
16 juurde yoo-reh to, toward, to someone's place Ta läks sõbra juurde. — He went to his friend.
17 peale peh-ah-leh onto, on Kass hüppas laua peale. — The cat jumped onto the table.
18 ette et-teh in front of Ta läks maja ette. — He went in front of the house.
19 taha tah-hah behind Ta läks maja taha. — He went behind the house.
20 kõrvale kuhr-vah-leh beside, next to Ta istus minu kõrvale. — He sat next to me.
21 vahele vah-heh-leh between, among Ta istus meie vahele. — He sat between us.
22 sisse sisseh into Ta läks maja sisse. — He went into the house.
23 välja vah-lyah out of, outside Ta tuli maja välja. — He came out of the house.
24 tagant tah-gahnt from behind Ta tuli maja tagant. — He came from behind the house.
25 kõrvalt kuhr-vahlt from beside Ta tuli minu kõrvalt. — He came from beside me.
26 seest seh-est from inside Ta tuli maja seest. — He came from inside the house.
27 pealt pehlt from/on top of Võta raamat laua pealt. — Take the book off the table.
28 alt ahlt from under Kass tuli laua alt. — The cat came from under the table.
29 eest eh-est from in front of Ta tuli maja eest. — He came from in front of the house.
3. Location adpositions
Estonian's local adpositions often form a three-way system:
Static location Movement toward Movement from
ees — in front of ette — to/in front of eest — from in front of
taga — behind taha — behind/to behind tagant — from behind
kõrval — beside kõrvale — to beside kõrvalt — from beside
sees — inside sisse — into seest — from inside
peal — on peale — onto pealt — from/on top of
all — under alla — under/to under alt — from under
vahel — between vahele — between/to between vahelt — from between
keskel — in the middle keskele — into the middle keskelt — from the middle
juures — at/by juurde — to juurest — from
lähedal — near lähedale — to near lähedalt — from near
kohal — above kohale — to above kohalt — from above
This is one of the most important patterns in Estonian.
4. Time prepositions/postpositions
Estonian English Example
enne before Enne sööki pesen käsi. — I wash my hands before eating.
pärast after Pärast tööd lähen koju. — After work, I go home.
alates from, starting from Alates homsest olen puhkusel. — Starting tomorrow, I am on vacation.
kuni until Töötan kuni õhtuni. — I work until evening.
ajal during, at the time of Tunni ajal ei räägi me. — We don't talk during the lesson.
jooksul during, within, over Aasta jooksul õppisin palju. — I learned a lot during the year.
vältel during, throughout Päeva vältel töötasin. — I worked throughout the day.
keskel in the middle of Päeva keskel läksime koju. — We went home in the middle of the day.
paiku around/about the time of Keskpäeva paiku tulin koju. — I came home around noon.
eel before, prior to Pühade eel oli palju tööd. — There was a lot of work before the holidays.
järel after, following Töö järel läksin koju. — After work, I went home.
5. Cause and reason
Estonian English Example
tõttu because of, due to Haiguse tõttu jäi ta koju. — He stayed home because of illness.
pärast because of, due to Selle pärast ma tulin. — I came because of that.
tõttu owing to Õnnetuse tõttu oli tee suletud. — The road was closed due to the accident.
tänu thanks to Tänu õpetajale õppisin palju. — Thanks to the teacher, I learned a lot.
tõttu as a result of Vea tõttu tekkis probleem. — A problem arose as a result of the error.
tagajärjel as a result of Õnnetuse tagajärjel sai ta vigastada. — He was injured as a result of the accident.
6. Purpose / beneficiary
Estonian English Example
jaoks for See on laste jaoks. — This is for children.
tarbeks for, for the use of See ruum on õpilaste tarbeks. — This room is for students' use.
nimel for, on behalf of Ta rääkis meie nimel. — He spoke on behalf of us.
tarvis for, necessary for Seda on töö tarvis. — This is needed for the work.
otstarbeks for the purpose of See raha on projekti otstarbeks. — This money is for the purpose of the project.
7. Means / instrument
Estonian English Example
abil with the help of, by means of Ma õppisin õpiku abil. — I studied with the help of a textbook.
kaudu through, via, by way of Saatsin kirja interneti kaudu. — I sent the letter via the internet.
teel by way of, on the way Saatsin selle posti teel. — I sent it by mail.
vahendusel through, via, by means of Müük toimub interneti vahendusel. — The sale takes place via the internet.
läbi through Saime ühendust sõbra kaudu. — We made contact through a friend.
8. About / concerning
Estonian English Example
kohta about, concerning Ma lugesin raamatu kohta arvustust. — I read a review about the book.
osas regarding, concerning Selles osas on meil erinevad arvamused. — We have different opinions regarding this matter.
suhtes regarding, toward Tema suhtes olin aus. — I was honest toward him.
puhul on the occasion of, in the case of Selle puhul korraldame peo. — We will organize a party for this occasion.
nimel on behalf of Ta tegutses ettevõtte nimel. — He acted on behalf of the company.
9. Opposition / comparison
Estonian English Example
vastu against Nad võitlesid vaenlase vastu. — They fought against the enemy.
vastas opposite Meie maja on poe vastas. — Our house is opposite the shop.
vastu toward/against Ta surus ukse vastu seina. — He pushed the door against the wall.
võrreldes compared with Võrreldes eelmise aastaga on olukord parem. — Compared with last year, the situation is better.
suhtes toward, regarding Ta oli minu suhtes sõbralik. — He was friendly toward me.
10. Association
Estonian English Example
koos with, together with Ma tulin koos sõbraga. — I came with a friend.
kaasa arvatud including Kõik, kaasa arvatud lapsed, tulid. — Everyone, including the children, came.
välja arvatud except, excluding Kõik tulid, välja arvatud Jaan. — Everyone came except Jaan.
ilma without Ta tuli ilma vennata. — He came without his brother.
lisaks in addition to Lisaks tööle õpin ma õhtuti. — In addition to work, I study in the evenings.
11. Inclusion and exclusion
Estonian English Example
kaasa arvatud including Kõik, kaasa arvatud õpetaja, tulid. — Everyone, including the teacher, came.
välja arvatud except Kõik olid kohal, välja arvatud tema. — Everyone was present except him.
peale besides, in addition to Peale minu tulid veel kolm inimest. — Besides me, three more people came.
lisaks in addition to Lisaks sellele ostsin raamatu. — In addition to that, I bought a book.
ilma without Ma ei saa seda teha ilma sinuta. — I can't do this without you.
12. Direction
Estonian English Example
poole toward Ta kõndis maja poole. — He walked toward the house.
suunas toward, in the direction of Ta läks linna suunas. — He went in the direction of the city.
vastu toward, toward/against Ta tuli minu vastu. — He came toward me.
juurde to, toward Lähen arsti juurde. — I am going to the doctor.
poole toward Ta pöördus ukse poole. — He turned toward the door.
järele after, after someone/something Ta läks mulle järele. — He went after me.
13. “For” — several different Estonian forms
English for does not have one single Estonian equivalent.
Estonian Main meaning Example
jaoks for someone/something See on minu jaoks. — This is for me.
tarvis for/needed for Seda on töö tarvis. — This is needed for the work.
tarbeks for the use/purpose of See on õpilaste tarbeks. — This is for students' use.
nimel on behalf of Ma räägin sinu nimel. — I speak on your behalf.
eest for, in exchange for, on behalf of Ta võitles oma maa eest. — He fought for his country.
kohta per, concerning Kaks eurot inimese kohta. — Two euros per person.
14. “With” — several constructions
Estonian English Example
koos together with Ma lähen koos sinuga. — I am going with you.
abil with the help of Ta õppis õpetaja abil. — He studied with the help of the teacher.
kaudu through/via Ma sain selle sõbra kaudu. — I got it through a friend.
vahendusel through/by means of See toimub interneti vahendusel. — This happens through the internet.
15. “From” — important Estonian forms
Estonian usually expresses from through cases rather than one general preposition.
Estonian Meaning Example
juurest from someone's place Tulen arsti juurest. — I am coming from the doctor.
seest from inside Ta tuli maja seest. — He came from inside the house.
pealt from/on top of Võta raamat laua pealt. — Take the book off the table.
alt from under Kass tuli voodi alt. — The cat came from under the bed.
tagant from behind Ta tuli maja tagant. — He came from behind the house.
kõrvalt from beside Ta tuli minu kõrvalt. — He came from beside me.
eest from in front of Ta tuli maja eest. — He came from in front of the house.
hulgast from among Ta valiti kandidaatide hulgast. — He was chosen from among the candidates.
16. “In / into / from” — a very important Estonian system
Estonian commonly uses three local cases rather than separate English-style prepositions.
Inside
Static Into From inside
majas majja majast
in the house into the house from the house
Example
Ma olen majas.
I am in the house.
Ma lähen majja.
I am going into the house.
Ma tulen majast.
I am coming from the house.
This is why Estonian's “preposition system” cannot be understood exactly like English.
17. “On / onto / off”
Static Movement onto Movement from
laual lauale laualt
on the table onto the table off/from the table
Example:
Raamat on laual.
The book is on the table.
Panen raamatu lauale.
I put the book onto the table.
Võtan raamatu laualt.
I take the book off the table.
18. “At / to / from” someone's place
This is another major Estonian pattern.
Static Toward From
juures juurde juurest
at/by to from
Ma olen sõbra juures.
I am at my friend's place.
Ma lähen sõbra juurde.
I am going to my friend.
Ma tulen sõbra juurest.
I am coming from my friend's place.
20. The most important distinction
Estonian is not primarily a prepositional language like English.
It uses:
Preposition + noun
ilma sinuta
without you
läbi metsa
through the forest
üle silla
across the bridge
enne tööd
before work
Noun + postposition
maja ees
in front of the house
maja taga
behind the house
laua peal
on the table
sõbra juures
at a friend's place
minu jaoks
for me
selle tõttu
because of this
So, for Estonian, the technically better term for the whole system is adpositions rather than simply “prepositions.”
Core Estonian adposition formation
Preposition + noun
ilma + sinuta → without you
läbi + metsa → through the forest
Noun + postposition
maja + ees → in front of the house
maja + taga → behind the house
sõbra + juurde → to the friend
Noun + local case
majas → in the house
majja → into the house
majast → from the house
12- DETERMINERS:
# Estonian Pronunciation English Full example
1 see seh this, this one See raamat on huvitav. — This book is interesting.
2 too too that, that one Too maja on vana. — That house is old.
3 need need these Need raamatud on uued. — These books are new.
4 nood nood those Nood inimesed elavad siin. — Those people live here.
5 seesama seh-sah-mah this same, this very Seesama mees tuli eile. — This same man came yesterday.
6 needsama need-sah-mah these same Needsamad inimesed olid siin. — These same people were here.
7 toosama too-sah-mah that same Toosama auto oli siin. — That same car was here.
8 needsinane need-see-nah-neh these very Needsinane probleem on oluline. — This very problem is important.
Main demonstrative system
Near Far
see — this too — that
need — these nood — those
2. Possessive determiners
Estonian normally expresses possession using the genitive form of a personal pronoun.
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 minu mee-noo my Minu raamat on siin. — My book is here.
2 sinu see-noo your Sinu auto on uus. — Your car is new.
3 tema teh-mah his/her Tema maja on suur. — His/her house is big.
4 meie meh-ee-eh our Meie sõber tuleb homme. — Our friend is coming tomorrow.
5 teie teh-ee-eh your Teie õpetaja on väga hea. — Your teacher is very good.
6 nende nen-deh their Nende lapsed mängivad õues. — Their children are playing outside.
Possessive formation
possessive pronoun + noun
minu raamat
my book
sinu maja
your house
tema auto
his/her car
meie sõber
our friend
nende laps
their child
3. Short possessive forms
Estonian also has shorter possessive forms, especially in some contexts.
Full form Short/alternative form English
minu mu my
sinu su your
tema ta his/her
meie me our
teie te your
nende nende their
Examples:
Mu auto on siin.
My car is here.
Su sõber helistas.
Your friend called.
The short forms are particularly common in ordinary speech.
4. Indefinite determiners
Estonian does not have a direct equivalent of English a/an.
The numeral üks (“one”) can sometimes function in an article-like way.
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 üks üks one / a certain Üks mees tuli siia. — A man came here.
2 mingi ming-ee some, some kind of, a certain Mingi mees helistas. — Some man called.
3 mingisugune ming-ee-soo-goo-neh some kind of Mingisugune probleem tekkis. — Some kind of problem occurred.
4 mõni muh-nee some, a few, any Mõni inimene jäi koju. — Some people stayed home.
5 mõningane muh-ning-ah-neh some, a certain amount of Mõningane muutus toimus. — Some change occurred.
6 teatud teh-ah-tood certain, particular Teatud inimesed teavad seda. — Certain people know this.
7 mingi ming-ee any/some Kas sul on mingi küsimus? — Do you have any question?
5. Negative determiners
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 ükski üks-kee any, a single Ükski õpilane ei vastanud. — Not a single student answered.
2 mitte ükski mit-te üks-kee not a single, no Mitte ükski inimene ei tulnud. — Not a single person came.
3 ükski...ei üks-kee...ay no/none Ükski raamat ei olnud uus. — No book was new.
4 mingi + negation ming-ee any Mul ei ole mingit raha. — I don't have any money.
Important pattern
ükski + noun + ei
Ükski inimene ei tulnud.
Not a single person came.
6. Universal determiners
These refer to all members of a group.
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 iga ee-gah every, each Iga inimene vajab puhkust. — Every person needs rest.
2 kõik kuhk all, every/all the Kõik inimesed tulid. — All the people came.
3 kogu koh-goo whole, entire Kogu päev töötasin. — I worked the whole day.
4 terve tehr-veh whole, entire Terve nädal olin kodus. — I was home the whole week.
5 kõik see kuhk seh all this Kõik see töö võttis kaua. — All this work took a long time.
6 kogu see koh-goo seh this whole Kogu see lugu on kummaline. — This whole story is strange.
7. Distributive determiners
These refer to members individually.
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 iga ee-gah every, each Iga õpilane sai raamatu. — Every student got a book.
2 igaüks ee-gah-üks everyone, each one Igaüks sai kingituse. — Everyone got a gift.
3 iga üks ee-gah üks each one Iga üks neist sai võimaluse. — Each one of them got a chance.
4 kumbki koom-bkee each of two, either Kumbki õpilane ei vastanud. — Neither student answered.
5 mõlemad muh-lem-bahd both Mõlemad õpilased tulid. — Both students came.
6 igaüks neist ee-gah-üks nayst each of them Igaüks neist sai raamatu. — Each of them got a book.
8. Quantifier determiners
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 palju pahl-yoo much, many Palju inimesi tuli. — Many people came.
2 vähe vah-heh little, few Vähe inimesi jäi. — Few people remained.
3 rohkem roh-kem more Rohkem inimesi tuli. — More people came.
4 vähem vah-hem fewer, less Vähem inimesi tuli. — Fewer people came.
5 piisavalt pee-sah-vahlt enough Piisavalt aega on olemas. — There is enough time.
6 küllalt kül-lahlt enough, quite enough Küllalt aega jäi. — Enough time remained.
7 liiga palju lee-gah pahl-yoo too much/many Liiga palju inimesi tuli. — Too many people came.
8 liiga vähe lee-gah vah-heh too little/few Liiga vähe inimesi tuli. — Too few people came.
9 nii palju nee pahl-yoo so much/many Nii palju inimesi tuli. — So many people came.
10 nii vähe nee vah-heh so little/few Nii vähe inimesi tuli. — So few people came.
11 rohkemgi roh-kem-gee even more Rohkemgi inimesi tuli. — Even more people came.
9. Partitive determiners
These identify part of a larger group.
# Estonian English Example
1 mõni some Mõni õpilane puudus. — Some students were absent.
2 mõned some, several Mõned inimesed lahkusid. — Some people left.
3 mõningad some, certain Mõningad inimesed protestisid. — Some people protested.
4 paljud many Paljud inimesed nõustusid. — Many people agreed.
5 vähesed few Vähesed inimesed teavad seda. — Few people know this.
6 mitmed several Mitmed inimesed helistasid. — Several people called.
7 hulk a number/amount of Hulk inimesi tuli. — A number of people came.
8 arv a number of Suur arv inimesi osales. — A large number of people participated.
10. Numeral determiners
Estonian numerals can function as noun determiners.
# Estonian English Example
1 üks one Üks mees tuli. — One man came.
2 kaks two Kaks meest tulid. — Two men came.
3 kolm three Kolm last mängivad. — Three children are playing.
4 neli four Neli õpilast õppisid. — Four students studied.
5 viis five Viis inimest ootavad. — Five people are waiting.
6 kümme ten Kümme õpilast tuli. — Ten students came.
7 sada hundred Sada inimest osales. — One hundred people participated.
8 tuhat thousand Tuhat inimest kogunes. — A thousand people gathered.
And larger numerals continue the same system.
11. Approximate quantity determiners
Estonian English Example
umbes about, approximately Umbes kümme inimest tuli. — About ten people came.
ligikaudu approximately Ligikaudu sada inimest osales. — Approximately one hundred people participated.
umbkaudu approximately Umbkaudu viiskümmend inimest tuli. — Approximately fifty people came.
enam-vähem more or less Enam-vähem sada inimest osales. — More or less one hundred people participated.
12. Interrogative determiners
These ask about a noun.
# Estonian Pronunciation English Example
1 mis mis what, which Mis raamat see on? — What book is that?
2 milline mil-lee-neh what kind of, which Milline raamat sulle meeldib? — Which book do you like?
3 missugune mis-soo-goo-neh what kind of, which Missugune auto sul on? — What kind of car do you have?
4 kumb koom which of two Kumb raamat sulle meeldib? — Which book do you like?
5 mitu mee-too how many, several Mitu raamatut sul on? — How many books do you have?
6 kui palju koo pahl-yoo how much/many Kui palju raha sul on? — How much money do you have?
7 mitmes meet-mes which numbered/which in sequence Mitmes päev täna on? — Which day is it today?
13. Indefinite determiners
Estonian English Example
mingi some, any, a certain Mingi probleem tekkis. — Some problem occurred.
mingisugune some kind of Mingisugune viga tekkis. — Some kind of error occurred.
mõni some, a certain, any Mõni inimene võib seda teha. — Some person may do this.
mõningane some, a certain amount of Mõningane probleem tekkis. — A certain problem occurred.
teatud certain, particular Teatud inimesed teavad seda. — Certain people know this.
üks a certain/one Üks mees otsis sind. — A man was looking for you.
üks või teine one or another Üks või teine inimene aitab. — One person or another will help.
14. “Any” determiners
Estonian usually expresses any using several different constructions.
Estonian English Example
ükskõik milline any, whichever Vali ükskõik milline raamat. — Choose any book.
ükskõik mis whatever/any Võta ükskõik mis raamat. — Take any book.
ükskõik kumb either/whichever of two Vali ükskõik kumb raamat. — Choose either book.
ükskõik mitu any number of Võta ükskõik mitu raamatut. — Take any number of books.
mis tahes any, whatever Vali mis tahes raamat. — Choose any book.
milline tahes any kind of Milline tahes lahendus sobib. — Any solution is suitable.
15. “Each / every”
Estonian English Example
iga every, each Iga päev töötan. — I work every day.
igaüks everyone, each one Igaüks saab võimaluse. — Everyone gets a chance.
iga üks each one Iga üks neist sai raamatu. — Each one of them got a book.
igaüks neist each of them Igaüks neist tuli. — Each of them came.
kumbki each/either of two Kumbki mees ei vastanud. — Neither man answered.
16. “Both”
The main word is:
mõlemad = both
Mõlemad mehed tulid.
Both men came.
Mõlemad raamatud on head.
Both books are good.
For “both of”:
Mõlemad neist tulid.
Both of them came.
17. “Neither / none”
Estonian English Example
kumbki + negative verb neither Kumbki mees ei tulnud. — Neither man came.
mitte kumbki neither Mitte kumbki mees ei tulnud. — Neither man came.
ükski + negative verb no/none Ükski õpilane ei vastanud. — No student answered.
mitte ükski not a single Mitte ükski õpilane ei vastanud. — Not a single student answered.
18. Totality determiners
Estonian English Example
kõik all Kõik inimesed tulid. — All people came.
kogu whole, entire Kogu maja oli tühi. — The whole house was empty.
terve whole, entire Terve päev töötasin. — I worked the whole day.
kõik need all these Kõik need inimesed on siin. — All these people are here.
kõik need samad all these same Kõik need samad inimesed tulid. — All these same people came.
19. Superlative/maximum determiners
These can determine a noun when referring to maximum quantity.
Estonian English Example
kõige rohkem the most Kõige rohkem inimesi tuli laupäeval. — The most people came on Saturday.
kõige vähem the fewest/least Kõige vähem inimesi tuli pühapäeval. — The fewest people came on Sunday.
enamik most, the majority of Enamik inimesi nõustus. — Most people agreed.
enamik neist most of them Enamik neist tuli. — Most of them came.
20. “Most / majority”
Important Estonian forms:
Estonian English Example
enamik most, majority Enamik inimesi töötas. — Most people worked.
suurem osa the larger part/most Suurem osa inimestest nõustus. — Most people agreed.
enamik neist most of them Enamik neist tuli. — Most of them came.
suurem osa neist most of them Suurem osa neist jäi koju. — Most of them stayed home.
21. “Several / many / few”
Estonian English Example
mitu several/many/how many Mitu inimest tuli. — Several people came.
mitmed several Mitmed inimesed helistasid. — Several people called.
mitu several Ostsin mitu raamatut. — I bought several books.
palju many/much Palju inimesi tuli. — Many people came.
paljud many Paljud inimesed nõustusid. — Many people agreed.
vähe few/little Vähe inimesi tuli. — Few people came.
vähesed few Vähesed inimesed teavad seda. — Few people know this.
22. “A lot of / a number of”
Estonian English Example
palju a lot of/many Palju inimesi tuli. — A lot of people came.
hulk a number/amount of Hulk inimesi tuli. — A number of people came.
suur hulk a large number/amount Suur hulk inimesi tuli. — A large number of people came.
arv number of Suur arv inimesi osales. — A large number of people participated.
rohkesti plenty of, abundantly Rohkesti inimesi osales. — Plenty of people participated.
23. Restrictive determiners
These mean only, merely, just.
Estonian English Example
ainult only Ainult üks õpilane tuli. — Only one student came.
vaid only, merely Vaid üks inimene jäi. — Only one person remained.
üksnes only Üksnes need inimesed võivad tulla. — Only those people may come.
kõigest only, merely Kõigest kaks inimest tuli. — Only two people came.
pelgalt merely, only Pelgalt üks näide ei piisa. — Merely one example is not enough.
Note: these are more accurately focus/restrictive particles or adverbs, not a strict determiner class.
24. Emphatic determiners
Estonian English Example
seesama this very/same Seesama mees tuli tagasi. — This very same man came back.
needsama these same Needsamad inimesed tulid tagasi. — These same people came back.
toosama that very/same Toosama auto oli seal. — That very same car was there.
just see exactly this Just see mees tuli. — Exactly this man came.
just need exactly these Just need inimesed tulid. — Exactly these people came.
25. “Such / what kind of”
Estonian English Example
selline such, this kind of Selline inimene on haruldane. — Such a person is rare.
selline...nagu such...as Sellised inimesed nagu tema on haruldased. — People such as him are rare.
mingisugune some kind of Mingisugune probleem tekkis. — Some kind of problem occurred.
igasugune every kind of, any kind of Igasugune abi on teretulnud. — Any kind of help is welcome.
igasugused all kinds of Igasugused inimesed elavad siin. — All kinds of people live here.
igasugune any kind of Igasugune toit sobib. — Any kind of food is suitable.
mis tahes any kind of Mis tahes lahendus sobib. — Any solution is suitable.
26. “Whole / entire”
Estonian English Example
kogu whole, entire Kogu päev töötasin. — I worked the whole day.
terve whole, entire Terve aasta õppisin. — I studied the whole year.
kõik all Kõik päevad olid rasked. — All the days were difficult.
täielik complete, entire Täielik nimekiri on siin. — The complete list is here.
täielik is technically an adjective, not a determiner.
27. Estonian does NOT have “the”
This is very important.
English:
the book
Estonian normally simply has:
raamat
So:
Raamat on laual.
The book is on the table.
Context tells us whether raamat means:
a book
the book
book(s) generally
A demonstrative can make the reference explicit:
See raamat on laual.
This book is on the table.
28. Estonian does NOT have a normal “a/an”
There is no mandatory indefinite article equivalent to English a/an.
English:
I saw a dog.
Estonian:
Ma nägin koera.
I saw a dog / the dog.
But üks can be used when introducing or emphasizing one particular/unknown individual:
Üks mees tuli minu juurde.
A man came to me.
Literally:
üks = one
So üks is primarily a numeral, but can have an article-like indefinite function in certain contexts.
13- IF CONDITIONAL
Zero kui + present, present Kui söön, tunnen end halvasti If I eat, I feel bad
First kui + present, present Kui tulen, näen sind If I come, I will see you
Second kui + conditional, conditional Kui tuleksin, näeksin If I came, I would see
Third kui + oleks + participle Kui oleksin tulnud, oleksin näinud If I had come, I would have seen
Mixed combination Kui oleksin õppinud, oleksin arst If I had studied, I would be a doctor
Present Conditional stem + -ks + ending elaksin I would live
Conditional Perfect oleks + participle oleksin elanud I would have lived
Conditional Continuous oleks + -mas oleksin elamas I would be living
Conditional Perfect Continuous oleks + olnud + -mas oleksin olnud elamas I would have been living
Present Conditional ei + conditional stem ei elaks would not live
Conditional Perfect ei oleks + participle ei oleks elanud would not have lived
Conditional Continuous ei oleks + -mas ei oleks elamas would not be living
Conditional Perfect Continuous ei oleks olnud + -mas ei oleks olnud elamas would not have been living
Present Conditional Passive stem + taks/daks kirjutataks would be written
Conditional Perfect Passive oleks + tud/dud oleks kirjutatud would have been written
Conditional Passive Continuous oleks + -misel oleks kirjutamisel would be being written
Conditional Passive Perfect Continuous oleks olnud + -misel oleks olnud kirjutamisel would have been being written
Negative Present Conditional Passive ei + -taks/-daks ei kirjutataks would not be written
Negative Conditional Perfect Passive ei oleks + -tud/-dud ei oleks kirjutatud would not have been written
Negative Conditional Passive Continuous ei oleks + -misel ei oleks kirjutamisel would not be being written
Negative Conditional Passive Perfect Continuous ei oleks olnud + -misel ei oleks olnud kirjutamisel would not have been being written
if kui
when kui
when? millal
then when siis kui
in case juhul kui
even if isegi kui
only if ainult kui / ainult siis kui
unless kui mitte / kui ei
otherwise vastasel juhul
provided that tingimusel et
as long as seni kuni / niikaua kui
before enne kui
after pärast seda kui
as soon as niipea kui
whenever alati kui / iga kord kui
if only kui ainult
no matter when ükskõik millal
no matter where ükskõik kus
no matter how ükskõik kui
14- COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE
Positive adjective adjective See maja on suur. This house is big.
Comparative adjective stem + -m See maja on suurem kui see maja. This house is bigger than that house.
Superlative adjective kõige + comparative See on kõige suurem maja linnas. This is the biggest house in the city.
Synthetic superlative -im form Everest on maailma kõrgeim mägi. Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
Comparative adverb adverb stem + -mini (often) or irregular Ta jookseb kiiremini kui mina. He runs faster than I do.
Superlative adverb kõige + comparative adverb Ta jookseb kõige kiiremini. He runs the fastest.
More (nouns) rohkem + noun Mul on rohkem raha kui sinul. I have more money than you.
More (verbs) verb + rohkem Ta töötab rohkem kui mina. He works more than I do.
Less (nouns) vähem + noun Mul on vähem aega kui sinul. I have less time than you.
Less (verbs) verb + vähem Ta sööb vähem kui tema vend. He eats less than his brother.
Most kõige rohkem Neil on kõige rohkem lapsi. They have the most children.
Least kõige vähem Mul on kõige vähem tööd. I have the least work.
suur → suurem → kõige suurem (big → bigger → biggest)
15- RELATIVE CLAUSES
who (subject) kes mees, kes töötab
whom keda mees, keda nägin
whose (person) kelle mees, kelle auto
which/that mis raamat, mis meeldib
which (object) mida raamat, mida lugesin
whose (thing) mille maja, mille katus
where kus koht, kus elan
where to kuhu koht, kuhu lähen
where from kust koht, kust tulin
when millal päev, millal kohtusime
with whom kellega inimene, kellega rääkisin
with which millega tööriist, millega töötan
kes (who)
Function Form Example
Subject kes Mees, kes tuli... (The man who came...)
Object keda Mees, keda ma nägin... (The man whom I saw...)
Genitive kelle Mees, kelle auto... (The man whose car...)
Allative kellele Mees, kellele ma kirjutasin... (The man to whom I wrote...)
Adessive kellel Mees, kellel on koer... (The man who has a dog...)
Comitative kellega Mees, kellega ma rääkisin... (The man with whom I spoke...)
mis (which/that)
Function Form Example
Subject mis Raamat, mis laual on...
Object mida Raamat, mida ma loen...
Genitive mille Raamat, mille kaas...
Allative millele Tool, millele istusin...
Adessive millel Laud, millel raamat on...
Comitative millega Pliiats, millega kirjutan...
The book that I bought Raamat, mis ma ostsin
With relative clauses that has "is (Verb)" can be (Verb) + (Noun), this is optional though.
The running boy Jooksev poiss
The written letter Kirjutatud kiri
Person (subject) Noun + kes + clause Mees, kes tuli... The man who came...
Person (object) Noun + keda + subject + verb Mees, keda ma nägin... The man whom I saw...
Thing (subject) Noun + mis + clause Raamat, mis laual on... The book that is on the table...
Thing (object) Noun + mida + subject + verb Raamat, mida ma loen... The book that I am reading...
Possession (person) Noun + kelle + noun + clause Naine, kelle laps... The woman whose child...
Possession (thing) Noun + mille + noun + clause Raamat, mille kaas... The book whose cover...
Place Noun + kus + clause Maja, kus elan... The house where I live...
Destination Noun + kuhu + clause Linn, kuhu läheme... The city where we are going...
Origin Noun + kust + clause Küla, kust tulen... The village where I come from...
Time Time noun + millal/mil + clause Päev, mil ta saabus... The day when he/she arrived...
REDUCED:
Present active verb stem + -v + noun jooksev poiss the boy who is running / the running boy
Past passive verb stem + -tud + noun kirjutatud kiri the letter that was written / the written letter
Past active verb stem + -nud + noun saabunud külalised the guests who have arrived / the arrived guests
Time + participle time + participle + noun eile kirjutatud kiri the letter written yesterday
Place + participle place + participle + noun seal elav mees the man who lives there / the man living there
Infinitive phrase noun + da-infinitive midagi süüa something to eat
16- REPORTED SPEECH AND DIRECT SPEECH
Direct Speech: Speaker + reporting verb + ":" + "quotation"
Reported Speech:
Statement verb + et + clause Ta ütles, et ta on väsinud. He said that he was/is tired.
Yes/No question küsima + kas + clause Ta küsis, kas ma tulen. He asked if I was coming.
WH-question küsima + WH-word + clause Ta küsis, kus ma elan. He asked where I lived.
Command ütlema + et + conditional Ta ütles, et ma tuleksin. He told me to come.
Request paluma + et + conditional Ta palus, et ma aitaksin. He asked me to help.
Negative command et + ei + conditional Ta ütles, et ma ei läheks. He told me not to go.
Quotative present verb + -vat Ta töötavat siin. He reportedly works here.
Quotative of olema olevat Ta olevat haige. He is reportedly sick.
Quotative perfect olevat + -nud Ta olevat läinud. He reportedly went/has gone.
Quotative passive passive + -tavat Raamatut loetavat. The book is reportedly read.
Opinion arvama + et Ma arvan, et ta tuleb. I think that he is coming.
Knowledge teadma + et Ma tean, et ta tuleb. I know that he is coming.
Information/hearsay kuulma + et Ma kuulsin, et ta tuli. I heard that he came.
17- INFINITIVES AND VERBAL NOUNS
ma-infinitive -ma dictionary (form, movement, beginning) lugema
da-infinitive -da/-ta/-a (after many modal and auxiliary verbs) lugeda
Verbal noun -mine English gerund/noun lugemine
Des-form -des while/by doing lugedes
Mas-form -mas in the process of doing lugemas
Mata-form -mata without doing lugemata
Nud-participle -nud having done lugenud
Happy doing Subject + olema + adjective + object + -des Ma olen rõõmus sind nähes
Happy to do Adessive person + on + hea meel + object + da-infinitive Mul on hea meel sind näha
Plan to do Subject + kavatsema + da-infinitive Ma kavatsen süüa
Plan doing Subject + verb + -mine noun (partitive) Ma planeerin söömist
See someone doing Subject + perception verb + object + mas-form Ma näen teda jooksmas
I eat to play/in order to play I eat to play Ma söön mängimiseks (add -miseks)
18- SUBJUNCTIVE
If I were Kui ma oleksin
I suggest that he go Ma soovitan, et ta läheks
It is important that she be here On tähtis, et ta oleks siin
I wish I knew Soovin, et ma teaksin
Long live the king! Elagu kuningas!
God bless you! Jumal õnnistagu sind!
If I were... Kui ma oleksin...
If only... Kui ainult...
I wish... Soovin, et...
I suggest that... Soovitan, et...
It is necessary that... On vaja, et...
It is important that... On tähtis, et...
He wanted me to... Ta tahtis, et...
As if... Nagu oleks...
19- TAG QUESTIONS
eks? isn't it?, right?
eks ole? isn't that right?
on ju? right?, isn't it?
kas pole? isn't it?
jah? right?
või mis? or what? (informal)
isn't he? eks?
aren't you? eks?
don't they? eks?
can't she? eks?
wasn't it? kas pole?
right? jah? / on ju?
You're tired, aren't you? Sa oled väsinud, eks?
He's your brother, isn't he? Ta on su vend, eks?
She came yesterday, didn't she? Ta tuli eile, eks?
They live here, don't they? Nad elavad siin, on ju?
We can leave now, can't we? Me võime nüüd lahkuda, eks?
You're coming tomorrow, right? Sa tuled homme, jah?
Present Kas + S + ei + V? Kas sa ei tule? Aren't you coming?
To be Kas + S + ei ole...? Kas sa ei ole väsinud? Aren't you tired?
Past Kas + S + ei + past? Kas sa ei tulnud? Didn't you come?
Perfect Kas + S + ei ole + -nud? Kas sa ei ole tulnud? Haven't you come?
Pluperfect Kas + S + ei olnud + -nud? Kas sa ei olnud tulnud? Hadn't you come?
Modal Kas + S + ei + modal + infinitive? Kas sa ei saa tulla? Can't you come?
WH-question WH + S + ei + V? Miks sa ei tule? Why aren't you coming?
Conditional Kas + S + ei + conditional? Kas sa ei tuleks? Wouldn't you come?
20- MODAL WORDS
# Estonian Pronunciation English Full example
1 võima vuh-ee-mah may, can, be allowed to Ma võin tulla. — I may/can come.
2 saama sah-mah can, be able to, get to Ma saan tulla. — I can come.
3 pidama pee-dah-mah must, have to, be supposed to Ma pean minema. — I must go.
4 tulema too-leh-mah must, have to Ma tulen seda tegema. — I have to do this.
5 tohtima toh-tee-mah may, be permitted to Sa tohid minna. — You may go.
6 suutma sooht-mah be able to, manage to Ma suudan seda teha. — I can manage to do it.
7 julgema yool-geh-mah dare to Ta julgeb rääkida. — He dares to speak.
8 tahtma taht-mah want to Ma tahan minna. — I want to go.
9 soovima soh-vee-mah wish, want to Ma soovin minna. — I wish to go.
10 kavatsema kah-vaht-seh-mah intend to, plan to Ma kavatsen minna. — I intend to go.
11 plaanima plah-nee-mah plan to Ma plaanin minna. — I plan to go.
12 viitsima veet-see-mah feel like, bother to Ma ei viitsi minna. — I don't feel like going.
13 pruukima proo-kee-mah need to / be likely to, usually negative Sa ei pruugi tulla. — You may not come / You might not come.
2. Ability: “can / be able to”
saama
Very common:
Ma saan seda teha.
I can do it.
Ma ei saa tulla.
I cannot come.
suutma
Emphasizes actual ability/capability:
Ma suudan seda teha.
I am able to do it.
Ma ei suuda seda teha.
I cannot manage to do it.
võima
Can also express possibility or permission:
Ma võin tulla.
I can/may come.
3. Permission: “may / be allowed to”
Estonian English Example
võima may, can Sa võid minna. — You may go.
tohtima be allowed to Sa tohid minna. — You are allowed to go.
lubatud olema be permitted Siia ei ole lubatud tulla. — You are not permitted to come here.
luba olema have permission Mul on luba minna. — I have permission to go.
Important distinction
võima can mean either:
possibility
permission
Sa võid minna.
You may/can go.
tohtima more specifically means be permitted/allowed to.
4. Necessity / obligation
Estonian English Example
pidama must, have to Ma pean minema. — I must go.
tulema must, have to Mul tuleb minna. — I have to go.
vaja olema need to Mul on vaja minna. — I need to go.
tarvis olema need to Mul on tarvis minna. — I need to go.
vajalik olema be necessary See on vajalik teha. — It is necessary to do this.
kohustatud olema be obliged Ta on kohustatud maksma. — He is obliged to pay.
sunnitud olema be forced Ta on sunnitud lahkuma. — He is forced to leave.
paratamatu olema be inevitable See on paratamatu. — It is inevitable.
5. “Must”
The principal Estonian equivalent is:
pidama
Ma pean minema.
I must go.
Sa pead õppima.
You must study.
Ta pidi lahkuma.
He had to leave.
Negative:
Sa ei pea minema.
You don't have to go.
This is important:
ei pea = do not have to / need not
It does not normally mean “must not.”
For “must not,” use:
Sa ei tohi minna.
You must not go.
6. Prohibition: “must not / may not”
Estonian English Example
ei tohi must not, may not Sa ei tohi suitsetada. — You must not smoke.
ei või may not, cannot Sa ei või seda teha. — You may not do that.
keelatud olema be forbidden See on keelatud. — That is forbidden.
keeld olema there be a prohibition Sellele on keeld. — There is a prohibition on this.
7. “Should / ought to”
Estonian commonly expresses this with pidama in conditional form.
peaks
Sa peaksid minema.
You should go.
Ta peaks õppima.
He should study.
Other expressions
Estonian English Example
peaks should, ought to Sa peaksid puhkama. — You should rest.
võiks should/could, might Sa võiksid proovida. — You could/should try.
tasuks it would be worthwhile/you should Sul tasuks minna. — You should go / It would be worthwhile for you to go.
oleks parem it would be better Oleks parem koju minna. — It would be better to go home.
oleks soovitatav it would be advisable Oleks soovitatav puhata. — It would be advisable to rest.
8. Possibility: “may / might / can”
Estonian English Example
võima may, might, can Ta võib tulla. — He may come.
võimalik olema be possible See on võimalik. — It is possible.
võib-olla maybe, perhaps Võib-olla ta tuleb. — Maybe he will come.
ehk perhaps, maybe Ehk ta tuleb homme. — Perhaps he will come tomorrow.
vahest perhaps, maybe Vahest ta tuleb. — Perhaps he will come.
võimalik, et possibly, it is possible that Võimalik, et ta tuleb. — It is possible that he will come.
9. Probability / likelihood
# Estonian English Example
1 tõenäoliselt probably Ta tuleb tõenäoliselt homme. — He will probably come tomorrow.
2 arvatavasti probably, presumably Ta tuleb arvatavasti homme. — He will probably come tomorrow.
3 ilmselt apparently, probably Ta on ilmselt kodus. — He is probably at home.
4 nähtavasti apparently, evidently Ta on nähtavasti haige. — He is apparently sick.
5 vist probably, apparently Ta on vist kodus. — He is probably at home.
6 vististi presumably, probably Ta on vististi kodus. — He is presumably at home.
7 küllap probably, presumably Ta küllap tuleb. — He will probably come.
8 vahest perhaps Ta vahest tuleb. — He perhaps will come.
9 ehk perhaps Ehk ta tuleb. — Perhaps he will come.
10 võib-olla maybe Võib-olla ta tuleb. — Maybe he will come.
11 vaevalt hardly, unlikely Ta vaevalt tuleb. — He will hardly come.
10. Certainty
Estonian English Example
kindlasti certainly, definitely Ta tuleb kindlasti. — He will definitely come.
kahtlemata undoubtedly Ta on kahtlemata tark. — He is undoubtedly intelligent.
kindlalt certainly, firmly Ta teab seda kindlalt. — He knows this for certain.
tõepoolest indeed, truly Ta tõepoolest tuli. — He indeed came.
tõesti really, indeed Ta tõesti tuli. — He really came.
loomulikult naturally, of course Loomulikult võin aidata. — Of course, I can help.
muidugi of course Muidugi võid tulla. — Of course, you can come.
kahtluseta without doubt Ta on kahtluseta parim. — He is without doubt the best.
igatahes in any case, certainly Ta tuleb igatahes. — He will come in any case.
11. Doubt / uncertainty
Estonian English Example
võib-olla maybe Võib-olla ta tuleb. — Maybe he will come.
ehk perhaps Ehk ta tuleb. — Perhaps he will come.
vist probably, I suppose Ta tuleb vist. — He will probably come.
vahest perhaps Vahest on see tõsi. — Perhaps it is true.
vaevalt hardly, unlikely Vaevalt ta tuleb. — He will hardly come.
vaevalt et hardly likely that Vaevalt et ta tuleb. — It is hardly likely that he will come.
12. Volition: “want to”
Estonian English Example
tahtma want to Ma tahan minna. — I want to go.
soovima wish to Ma soovin minna. — I wish to go.
ihkama long to, yearn to Ta ihkab reisida. — He longs to travel.
igatsema long for Ta igatseb koju minna. — He longs to go home.
eelistama prefer Ma eelistan jääda. — I prefer to stay.
13. Intention
Estonian English Example
kavatsema intend to Ma kavatsen õppida. — I intend to study.
plaanima plan to Ma plaanin reisida. — I plan to travel.
mõtlema intend/think of Ma mõtlen sinna minna. — I intend to go there.
kavatsema be going to/intend Ta kavatseb lahkuda. — He is going to/intends to leave.
14. Willingness
Estonian English Example
nõus olema be willing to, agree to Ma olen nõus aitama. — I am willing to help.
valmis olema be ready/willing to Ma olen valmis aitama. — I am ready/willing to help.
meeleldi willingly, gladly Ma aitan meeleldi. — I will gladly help.
hea meelega gladly, willingly Ma tulen hea meelega. — I will gladly come.
15. Need
Estonian English Example
vaja olema need to Mul on vaja minna. — I need to go.
tarvis olema need to Mul on tarvis minna. — I need to go.
vajama need Ma vajan abi. — I need help.
vajalik olema be necessary See on vajalik teha. — It is necessary to do this.
Important structure
Mul on vaja minna.
I need to go.
Literally:
mul = for me / I have
on = is
vaja = necessary/needed
minna = to go
16. Dare
julgema
Ma julgen seda teha.
I dare to do it.
Ma ei julge seda teha.
I don't dare to do it.
Past:
Ma julgesin talle öelda.
I dared to tell him.
17. “Feel like / bother to”
viitsima
Very useful colloquial modal-like verb:
Ma ei viitsi minna.
I can't be bothered to go.
Kas sa viitsid aidata?
Do you feel like helping?
Ma viitsin küll.
Yes, I feel like it / I can be bothered.
18. “Need not”
Estonian uses:
ei pea
Sa ei pea tulema.
You don't have to come.
Sa ei pea seda tegema.
You don't need to do that.
Compare:
Sa ei pea minema.
You don't have to go.
versus:
Sa ei tohi minna.
You must not go.
This distinction is very important.
19. “Be supposed to”
Estonian commonly uses pidama.
Present
Sa pead homme tulema.
You are supposed to come tomorrow.
Past
Sa pidid homme tulema.
You were supposed to come tomorrow.
Conditional
Sa peaksid homme tulema.
You should / are supposed to come tomorrow.
20. “Would”
Estonian doesn't have one word that corresponds exactly to every English use of would.
Conditional oleks and conditional forms of verbs are central.
Estonian English
oleks would be
võiks could/might
saaks could/would be able to
peaks should/would have to
tahaks would like/want
tuleks would come / should come
läheks would go
teeks would do
Examples:
Ma tahaksin kohvi.
I would like coffee.
Ma läheksin koju.
I would go home.
Ta võiks tulla.
He could/might come.
Ma saaksin aidata.
I could help.
21. Hypothetical modality
Estonian English Example
võiks could, might Ta võiks tulla. — He could/might come.
saaks could, would be able Ma saaksin aidata. — I could help.
peaks should Ta peaks tulema. — He should come.
tahaks would like Ma tahaksin minna. — I would like to go.
oleks would be See oleks hea. — That would be good.
tuleks would come / should come Ta tuleks minuga. — He would come with me.
22. Conditional + modal
A particularly important pattern:
Kui mul oleks aega, ma tuleksin.
If I had time, I would come.
Kui ma saaksin, ma aitaksin.
If I could, I would help.
Kui ta tahaks, ta tuleks.
If he wanted to, he would come.
Kui ma oleksin teadnud, oleksin tulnud.
If I had known, I would have come.
23. “Almost”
Estonian English Example
peaaegu almost Ma peaaegu kukkusin. — I almost fell.
napilt narrowly, barely Ta napilt pääses. — He barely escaped.
vaevalt hardly, barely Ta vaevalt suutis kõndida. — He could barely walk.
24. Evidential / inferential modality
These indicate that the speaker is inferring or reporting information rather than asserting it with certainty.
Estonian English Example
vist apparently/probably Ta on vist kodus. — He is apparently/probably at home.
küllap presumably Ta küllap tuleb. — He will presumably come.
ilmselt apparently/probably Ta on ilmselt haige. — He is apparently sick.
nähtavasti apparently Ta on nähtavasti lahkunud. — He has apparently left.
arvatavasti presumably/probably Ta on arvatavasti kodus. — He is probably at home.
paistab, et it appears that Paistab, et ta tuleb. — It appears that he is coming.
näib, et it seems that Näib, et ta tuleb. — It seems that he is coming.
25. Necessity expressions
Estonian English
peab must
tuleb must / have to
on vaja need to
on tarvis need to
on vajalik is necessary
on kohustuslik is obligatory
on kohustatud is obliged
on sunnitud is forced
on hädavajalik is essential
on paratamatu is inevitable
tuleb kindlasti definitely must
peab kindlasti definitely must
26. Permission expressions
Estonian English
võib may/can
tohib may/be allowed to
on lubatud is permitted
on luba have permission
lubatakse it is permitted/allowed
võimalik on it is possible
võib küll may indeed/certainly can
Example:
Siin võib istuda.
You may sit here.
Siin tohib istuda.
You are allowed to sit here.
27. Modal adverbs
These are not modal verbs, but they express possibility, certainty, probability, doubt, attitude, etc.
# Estonian English
1 võib-olla maybe
2 ehk perhaps
3 vahest perhaps
4 vist probably
5 vististi presumably
6 küllap presumably
7 tõenäoliselt probably
8 arvatavasti probably
9 ilmselt apparently/probably
10 nähtavasti apparently
11 vaevalt hardly/unlikely
12 kindlasti certainly
13 kahtlemata undoubtedly
14 tõesti really/indeed
15 tõepoolest indeed
16 loomulikult naturally/of course
17 muidugi of course
18 paraku unfortunately
19 loodetavasti hopefully
20 õnneks fortunately
21 kahjuks unfortunately
28. Modal particles
Some short Estonian words can modify the speaker's attitude, emphasis, expectation, or certainty.
Estonian English/function Example
ju after all, you know Ta ju teab seda. — He does know that, after all.
vist probably, I suppose Ta tuleb vist. — He'll probably come.
ehk perhaps Ehk tuleb homme. — Perhaps he will come tomorrow.
küll surely, certainly, indeed Ta tuleb küll. — He surely will come.
ometi nevertheless, after all Ta ometi tuli. — He came after all.
siiski nevertheless, still Ta siiski tuli. — He still/nevertheless came.
ikka still, surely, indeed Ta ikka tuleb. — He will still/surely come.
vast perhaps, probably Ta tuleb vast homme. — He'll probably come tomorrow.
vaevalt hardly Ta vaevalt tuleb. — He'll hardly come.
alles only then/not until Ta tuleb alles homme. — He won't come until tomorrow.
Some of these are particles/adverbs rather than strict modal words, and their exact function depends heavily on context.
29. “Probably”
Estonian has several ways to express English probably:
Estonian Strength/nuance
tõenäoliselt probably
arvatavasti probably/presumably
ilmselt apparently/probably
vist probably/I suppose
küllap presumably
vististi presumably
vahest perhaps
ehk perhaps
võib-olla maybe
Examples:
Tõenäoliselt ta tuleb.
He will probably come.
Ta tuleb vist.
He'll probably come.
Küllap ta tuleb.
He'll presumably come.
30. “Maybe / perhaps”
Estonian English
võib-olla maybe
ehk perhaps
vahest perhaps
vast perhaps/probably
võib juhtuda, et it may happen that
võimalik, et it is possible that
31. “Definitely / certainly”
Estonian English
kindlasti definitely
kindlalt certainly
kahtlemata undoubtedly
tõepoolest indeed
tõesti indeed/really
muidugi of course
loomulikult naturally/of course
igatahes in any case
32. “Would like”
The standard construction is:
tahaksin + infinitive
Ma tahaksin minna.
I would like to go.
Ma tahaksin süüa.
I would like to eat.
Kas sa tahaksid tulla?
Would you like to come?
33. “Could”
Estonian commonly uses:
võiks
Ma võiksin tulla.
I could come.
saaks
Ma saaksin tulla.
I could come / I would be able to come.
Difference:
võiksin → possibility/suggestion
saaksin → ability/possibility under circumstances
34. “Should have”
Estonian uses conditional pidama + past participle construction:
Ma oleksin pidanud minema.
I should have gone.
Sa oleksid pidanud õppima.
You should have studied.
Negative:
Sa ei oleks pidanud seda tegema.
You shouldn't have done that.
35. “Could have”
A common construction is:
Ma oleksin saanud tulla.
I could have come.
Ta oleks saanud aidata.
He could have helped.
36. “Might have”
Possibility in the past can be expressed with võima:
Ta võis olla kodus.
He may/might have been at home.
Ta võis tulla.
He may/might have come.
37. “Must have”
Inference can be expressed using kindlasti, peab, or context:
Ta pidi olema kodus.
He must have been at home.
Ta peab olema kodus.
He must be at home.
The exact interpretation depends on tense and context.
38. “Be going to / intend to”
Estonian has no exact grammatical future auxiliary equivalent to English be going to.
Instead:
kavatsema
Ma kavatsen minna.
I intend to go.
plaanima
Ma plaanin minna.
I plan to go.
Present tense can also express a future event:
Ma lähen homme.
I am going tomorrow / I will go tomorrow.
39. Modal infinitive constructions
Estonian modals commonly combine with the da-infinitive:
Formation English
võima + da-infinitive may/can
saama + da-infinitive can/be able
pidama + da-infinitive must/have to
tohtima + da-infinitive may/be allowed
suutma + da-infinitive be able to
julgema + da-infinitive dare to
tahtma + da-infinitive want to
soovima + da-infinitive wish to
kavatsema + da-infinitive intend to
plaanima + da-infinitive plan to
viitsima + da-infinitive feel like/bother to
Examples:
Ma võin minna.
I can/may go.
Ma pean minema.
I must go.
Ma tahan minna.
I want to go.
Ma suudan minna.
I am able to go.
21- THERE IS / HAVE / BE
There is a book Laual on raamat
There are books Laual on raamatud
There is no book Laual ei ole raamatut
There are no books Laual ei ole raamatuid
Is there a book? Kas laual on raamat?
There is someone Toas on keegi
There is nobody Toas ei ole kedagi
There is something Kastis on midagi
There is nothing Kastis ei ole midagi
There exists eksisteerib / leidub
I have a book Mul on raamat
You have a car Sul on auto
She has a dog Tal on koer
We have time Meil on aega
They have money Neil on raha
I don't have a book Mul ei ole raamatut
Do you have a car? Kas sul on auto?
I have eaten Ma olen söönud
IMPERATIVES:
sina no ending Tule! Come!
teie -ge Tulge! Come!
meie -gem Tulgem! Let's come!
tema/nemad -gu/-ku Tulgu! Let him come!
sina ära + imperative Ära tule!
teie ärge + -ge Ärge tulge!
meie ärgem + -gem Ärgem tulgem!
tema/nemad ärgu + -gu/-ku Ärgu tulgu!
tehtagu let it be done
kirjutatagu let it be written
loetagu let it be read
avatagu let it be opened
suletagu let it be closed
kasutatagu let it be used
hoitagu let it be kept
järgitagu let it be followed