Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Pronouns

Standard Estonian Grammar - Pronouns

Hi Standard Estonian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will cover Standard Estonian pronouns. Pronouns are words that replace nouns or other pronouns in a sentence. They avoid repetition and make the sentences shorter and easier to read. Pronouns are essential in Estonian, just like in any other language. So, let's dive in!

Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Standard Estonian Grammar → Introduction to Estonian → Alphabet ..., Introduction to Estonian grammar ..., Adjectives & Give your Opinion.

Personal pronouns

Personal pronouns are used to refer to people or objects in a sentence. Let's have a look at the personal pronouns in Standard Estonian:

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
mina	/’mɪnɑ/	I
sina	/'sinɑ/	you (singular)
tema	/'temɑ/	he/she/it
meie	/'mei.e/	we
teie	/'tei.e/	you (plural)
nemad	/'nemɑd/	they

Usage

Personal pronouns can be used as a subject or an object of the sentence. For instance:

• Ma töötan. (I work)
• Sina armastad teda. (You love him/her)
• Tema on tark. (He/she is smart)
• Meie sööme hommikust. (We eat breakfast)
• Teie lähete koju. (You go home)
• Nemad oskavad laulda. (They know how to sing)

It's important to note that the word "tema" can have several meanings, depending on the context. It can mean "he," "she," or "it." For example:

• Tema auto on punane. (His/her/its car is red)
• Tema joonistab pildi. (He/she draws a picture)

Also, when addressing someone in Standard Estonian, the pronoun "sina" is used. The formal way to address someone is to not use any pronoun at all, but the conjugated verb is used instead.

For example:

• Tere, Sina oled ilus. (Hi, you are beautiful)
• Tere, Kas te tahate midagi juua? (Hi, do you want something to drink?)

Demonstrative pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns are used to point out specific people or things in a sentence. In Standard Estonian, there are three types of demonstrative pronouns: "see," "too," and "seal."

See

"See" is used to point out something that is close to you or is the subject of the sentence.

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
see	/sɛé/	this/that

For example:

• See koer on väga ilus. (This/that dog is very beautiful)
• Ma tahan seda raamatut. (I want this/that book)

Too

"Too" is used to point out something that is close to the person being addressed or is the object of the sentence.

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
too	/tɔó/	this/that

For example:

• Too raamat on huvitav. (This/that book is interesting)
• Kas ma saan seda kommi? (Can I have this/that candy?)

Seal

"Seal" is used to point toward something that is far away from both parties.

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
seal	/sɛál/	there

For example:

• Ma näen seda maja seal. (I see that house over there)
• Kas sa tahad minna selle puu juurde seal? (Do you want to go to that tree over there?)

Interrogative pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people or objects. In Standard Estonian, there are four types of interrogative pronouns: "kes," "mis," "millal," and "kus."

Kes

"Kes" is used to ask about a person or people.

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
kes	/kɛs/	who

For example:

• Kes sa oled? (Who are you?)
• Kes teeb seda tööd? (Who does this work?)

Mis

"Mis" is used to ask about objects or activities.

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
mis	/mi:s/	what

For example:

• Mis see on? (What is this?)
• Mis sa teed? (What are you doing?)

Millal

"Millal" is used to ask about time or duration.

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
millal	/'milla:l/	when

For example:

• Millal sa koju lähed? (When are you going home?)
• Millal algab film? (When does the movie start?)

Kus

"Kus" is used to ask about places.

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
kus	/kus/	where

For example:

• Kus sa elad? (Where do you live?)
• Kus on tualett? (Where is the bathroom?)

Dialogue

To help you better understand the usage of pronouns in context, here is a dialogue between two people.

• Person 1: Tere, kas sa oled uus siin? (Hi, are you new here?)
• Person 2: Jah, ma olen. (Yes, I am.)
• Person 1: Mina olen Maria. (I am Maria.)
• Person 2: Minu nimi on Tom. (My name is Tom.)
• Person 1: Kus sa elad? (Where do you live?)
• Person 2: Ma elan Tallinnas. (I live in Tallinn.)
• Person 1: Mis sa teed? (What do you do?)
• Person 2: Ma töötan arhitektina. (I work as an architect.)
• Person 1: See on väga huvitav. (That is very interesting.)
• Person 2: Aitäh! (Thank you!)

Conclusion

That's it for our pronoun lesson! We hope you found it informative and useful. Remember, the more you practice, the better you will become. To improve your Standard Estonian Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Sources

• Estonian Language
• Estonian Grammar
• Pronoun

Impressive work on finishing this lesson! Explore these additional pages to enhance your understanding: Conditional Mood, Future Tense, 0 to A1 Course & Negation.

Other Lessons

• Plurals
• Give your Opinion
• Adjectives
• Gender
• Adverbs
• Conditional Mood
• Negation
• Future Tense
• Questions