Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Standard Estonian Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Standard Estonian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use the verb "be" in Standard Estonian. "Be" or "olema" in Estonian is an extremely important verb as it is used to describe what or who someone or something is. You will encounter this verb in many situations, so it is essential that you understand how to use it correctly.

"Be" in Present Tense

The present tense in Estonian is quite simple when it comes to "be." In the present tense, "be" is "olen" and it is conjugated as follows:

Person	Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
1st singular	Ma olen	ma ˈolɛn	I am
2nd singular	Sa oled	sa ˈolɛd	You are (informal)
3rd singular	Ta on	ta ˈon	He/She/It is
1st plural	Me oleme	mɛ ˈolɛmɛ	We are
2nd plural	Te olete	tɛ ˈolɛtɛ	You are (formal or plural)
3rd plural	Nad on	nad ˈon	They are

Here's an example of "be" in present tense:

• Person 1: Kes sa oled? (Who are you?)
• Person 2: Ma olen Maria. (I am Maria.)

"Be" in Past Tense

The past tense of "be" in Standard Estonian is a bit more complicated. In the past tense, "be" is "olnud" and its conjugation is as follows:

Person	Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
1st singular	Ma olin	ma ˈolin	I was
2nd singular	Sa olid	sa ˈolit	You were (informal)
3rd singular	Ta oli	ta ˈoli	He/She/It was
1st plural	Me olime	mɛ ˈolimɛ	We were
2nd plural	Te olite	tɛ ˈolitɛ	You were (formal or plural)
3rd plural	Nad olid	nad ˈolit	They were

Here's an example of "be" in past tense:

• Person 1: Kus sa olid eile õhtul? (Where were you yesterday evening?)
• Person 2: Ma olin kodus. (I was at home.)

Negation of "Be"

To negate "be" in Estonian, you need to use the word "ei" in front of the correct form of "be." Here are the negative forms of "be" in present tense and past tense:

Negation of "Be" in Present Tense

Person	Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
1st singular	Ma ei ole	ma ɛi ˈolɛ	I am not
2nd singular	Sa ei ole	sa ɛi ˈolɛ	You are not (informal)
3rd singular	Ta ei ole	ta ɛi ˈolɛ	He/She/It is not
1st plural	Me ei ole	mɛ ɛi ˈolɛ	We are not
2nd plural	Te ei ole	tɛ ɛi ˈolɛ	You are not (formal or plural)
3rd plural	Nad ei ole	nad ɛi ˈolɛ	They are not

Here's an example of negation of "be" in present tense:

• Person 1: Kas sa oled pärit Tallinnast? (Are you from Tallinn?)
• Person 2: Ei, ma ei ole pärit Tallinnast. (No, I am not from Tallinn.)

Negation of "Be" in Past Tense

Person	Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
1st singular	Ma ei olnud	ma ɛi ˈolnut	I was not
2nd singular	Sa ei olnud	sa ɛi ˈolnut	You were not (informal)
3rd singular	Ta ei olnud	ta ɛi ˈolnut	He/She/It was not
1st plural	Me ei olnud	mɛ ɛi ˈolnut	We were not
2nd plural	Te ei olnud	tɛ ɛi ˈolnut	You were not (formal or plural)
3rd plural	Nad ei olnud	nad ɛi ˈolnut	They were not

Here's an example of negation of "be" in past tense:

• Person 1: Kas sa oled käinud Egiptuses? (Have you been to Egypt?)
• Person 2: Ei, ma ei ole käinud Egiptuses. (No, I have not been to Egypt.)

Interesting Facts

Did you know that Estonian, along with Finnish and Hungarian, is one of the few languages in Europe that belongs to the Uralic language family? The Uralic language family is quite unique on the continent as it is not related to the Indo-European languages that most other European languages belong to. This means that Standard Estonian, as well as these other languages, have a different grammar structure and vocabulary compared to the majority of European languages.

Practice Exercise

Now it's time to practice your "be" conjugation skills! Fill in the blanks with the correct form of "be" in Standard Estonian:

1. Ma _____ Eesti. (I am from Estonia.) 2. Ta _____ viieteistkümneaastane. (He/She/It is fifteen years old.) 3. Te _____ väga väsinud. (You are very tired. formal or plural) 4. Nad _____ õpetajad. (They are teachers.) 5. Me _____ jalgpalli mängimas. (We are playing football.)

Answers: 1. olen 2. on 3. olete 4. on 5. oleme

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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