Understanding the Active Voice in Eesti Verbs
In the Estonian language, when we talk about actions that someone or something does, we use the active voice. This means the subject of the sentence is doing the action. For example, if a dog is running, the dog is the subject and it is doing the action of running.
Important Points
- The subject is the one who does the action.
- The verb is the action word.
- The object is who or what receives the action.
In a simple sentence, the order is usually: Subject + Verb + Object. This helps us understand who is doing what.
Examples
- Koer jookseb pargis.
- Laps joob piima.
- Mees loeb raamatut.
In these examples, 'Koer', 'Laps', and 'Mees' are the subjects doing the actions of running, drinking, and reading. The verbs 'jookseb', 'joob', and 'loeb' are the actions. The objects 'pargis', 'piima', and 'raamatut' receive the actions.
Let's look at how verbs change depending on who is doing the action. In Estonian, verbs change their endings based on the subject.
Important Points
- If 'mina' (I) is the subject, the verb usually ends in '-n'.
- If 'sina' (you) is the subject, the verb usually ends in '-d'.
- If 'tema' (he/she) is the subject, the verb usually stays the same.
Examples
- Mina jooksen pargis.
- Sina jood piima.
- Tema loeb raamatut.
By changing the verb endings, we can see who is doing the action. This is an important part of using the active voice in Estonian.