Guide to Eesti Declension of Nouns
In the Estonian language, nouns change their form based on their role in the sentence. This is called declension. It's kind of like how you might change your shoes depending on where you're going. Let's explore how Estonian nouns change!
Important Points
- Nominative
- Genitive
- Partitive
- Illative
- Inessive
- Elative
- Allative
- Adessive
- Ablative
- Translative
- Terminative
- Essive
Each of these cases tells us something different about the noun. For example, the nominative case is used for the subject of the sentence, while the genitive often shows possession.
The nominative case is the basic form of the noun, just like when you say 'dog' or 'cat' in English. It's used when the noun is the subject of the sentence.
The genitive case is often used to show that something belongs to someone or something else. It's like saying 'the dog's bone' in English.
The partitive case is used when you're talking about a part of something or an indefinite amount. It's like saying 'some water' in English.
Examples
- Vett on klaasis.
- Leiba laual.
Important Points
- Illative: Shows movement into something.
- Inessive: Shows being inside something.
- Elative: Shows movement out of something.
- Allative: Shows movement onto something.
- Adessive: Shows being on something.
- Ablative: Shows movement off something.
- Translative: Shows change or transformation.
- Terminative: Shows the end point of an action.
- Essive: Shows a temporary state or role.
Just like learning to ride a bike, learning these cases takes practice. Try using them in sentences, and soon you'll be an expert!
Examples
- Ma lähen kooli (Illative).
- Ma olen koolis (Inessive).
- Ma tulen koolist (Elative).