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<div class="pg_page_title">Standard Estonian Grammar - Nouns</div>
<div class="pg_page_title">Standard Estonian Grammar - Nouns</div>
Hi Standard Estonian learners! 😊<br>In today's lesson, we will be discussing the basics of Standard Estonian grammar, with a focus on nouns. We will look at the different types of nouns, how to form them, and how to use them in sentences. By the end of this lesson, you should have a good understanding of Standard Estonian nouns.  
 
Hi [https://polyglotclub.com/language/standard-estonian Standard Estonian] learners! 😊<br>In this lesson, we will cover the basics of Standard Estonian nouns - how they are classified, declined, and used in sentences. Nouns are one of the most important parts of the Estonian language, so it's essential to master their grammar and usage to become fluent in Standard Estonian.  
 
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== Types of Nouns ==


Standard Estonian has two main types of nouns: common nouns and proper nouns. Common nouns are general words that refer to people, places, things, or ideas. Proper nouns are specific names for people, places, things, or ideas.  
<span link>Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation|Standard Estonian Grammar → Introduction to Estonian → Alphabet ...]], [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Cases-and-pronouns|Introduction to Estonian grammar ...]], [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Question-Words-and-Formation|Question Words and Formation]] & [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Gender|Gender]].</span>
== What are Nouns ==
Nouns in Standard Estonian are words that name people, places, things, ideas, and concepts. They can be singular or plural, and they are classified as masculine, feminine, or neutral.  
 
Here are some examples of Standard Estonian nouns:
 
{| class="wikitable"
! Standard Estonian !! Pronunciation !! English
|-
| koer || /koer/ || dog
|-
| maja || /ma-ya/ || house
|-
| laud || /laud/ || table
|-
| armastus || /ar-mas-tus/ || love
|-
| naine || /nai-ne/ || woman
|-
| auto || /au-to/ || car
|-
| sugulane || /su-gu-la-ne/ || relative 
|}
 
== Classifying Nouns ==
Nouns in Standard Estonian are classified according to their gender and case. There are three genders in Standard Estonian: masculine, feminine, and neutral. The gender of a noun determines the declension of the noun, and the case of a noun determines its function in the sentence.  
 
Here are some examples of masculine, feminine, and neutral nouns:
 
{| class="wikitable"
! Gender !! Standard Estonian !! Pronunciation !! English
|-
| Masculine || mees || /mees/ || man
|-
| Masculine || koer || /koer/ || dog 
|-
| Feminine || ema || /e-ma/ || mother
|-
| Feminine || naine || /nai-ne/ || woman
|-
| Neutral || maja || /ma-ya/ || house
|-
| Neutral || auto || /au-to/ || car
|}


=== Common Nouns ===
== Declension of Nouns ==  
Common nouns can be divided into two categories: concrete nouns and abstract nouns. Concrete nouns refer to tangible objects, such as people, animals, places, and things. Abstract nouns refer to intangible concepts, such as emotions, ideas, and qualities.  
Declension is the process of changing the form of a noun to indicate its grammatical function. In Standard Estonian, nouns are declined according to their gender, case, and number. There are fourteen grammatical cases in Standard Estonian.  


=== Proper Nouns ===
Here is a table showing the declension of a masculine noun:
Proper nouns are always capitalized and refer to specific people, places, things, or ideas. Examples of proper nouns include names of people (e.g. John Smith), places (e.g. London), organizations (e.g. Microsoft), and titles (e.g. President).


== Noun Formation ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Case !! Standard Estonian !! Pronunciation !! English
|-
| Nominative || mees || /mees/ || man
|-
| Genitive || mehe || /me-he/ || of a man
|-
| Partitive || meest || /meest/ || man (object of the sentence)
|-
| Illative || mehesse || /me-hes-se/ || into a man
|-
| Inessive || mehes || /me-hes/ || in a man 
|-
| Elative || mehest || /me-hest/ || out of a man 
|-
| Allative || mehele || /me-he-le/ || to a man 
|-
| Adessive || mehel || /me-hel/ || on a man 
|-
| Ablative || mehelt || /me-helt/ || from a man 
|-
| Translative || meheks || /me-heks/ || as a man 
|-
| Terminative || meheni || /me-he-ni/ || up to a man 
|-
| Essive || mehena || /me-he-na/ || as a man (essence) 
|-
| Abessive || meheta || /me-he-ta/ || without a man 
|-
| Comitative || mehega || /me-he-ga/ || with a man
|}


Standard Estonian nouns can be formed in several ways. Nouns can be formed from verbs, adjectives, and other nouns.
And here is a table showing the declension of a feminine noun:


=== Verbal Nouns ===
{| class="wikitable"
Verbal nouns are formed from verbs and usually refer to an action or process. Verbal nouns are formed by adding the suffixes -mine, -lus, or -sus to the verb stem. For example, the verb "to read" (loe) becomes the verbal noun "reading" (loemine).
! Case !! Standard Estonian !! Pronunciation !! English
|-
| Nominative || naine || /nai-ne/ || woman
|-
| Genitive || naise || /nai-se/ || of a woman 
|-
| Partitive || naist || /naist/ || woman (object of the sentence) 
|-
| Illative || naisesse || /nai-ses-se/ || into a woman 
|-
| Inessive || naises || /nai-ses/ || in a woman 
|-
| Elative || naisest || /nai-sest/ || out of a woman 
|-
| Allative || naisele || /nai-se-le/ || to a woman 
|-
| Adessive || naisel || /nai-sel/ || on a woman 
|-
| Ablative || naiselt || /nai-selt/ || from a woman 
|-
| Translative || naiseks || /nai-seks/ || as a woman 
|-
| Terminative || naiseni || /nai-se-ni/ || up to a woman 
|-
| Essive || naisena || /nai-se-na/ || as a woman (essence)
|-
| Abessive || naiseta || /nai-se-ta/ || without a woman 
|-
| Comitative || naisega || /nai-se-ga/ || with a woman
|}


=== Adjectival Nouns ===
And finally, here is a table showing the declension of a neutral noun:
Adjectival nouns are formed from adjectives and usually refer to a quality or characteristic. Adjectival nouns are formed by adding the suffix -sus to the adjective stem. For example, the adjective "happy" (rõõmus) becomes the adjectival noun "happiness" (rõõmussus).


=== Derived Nouns ===
{| class="wikitable"
Derived nouns are formed from other nouns and usually refer to a person or thing associated with the original noun. Derived nouns are formed by adding the suffix -ja to the noun stem. For example, the noun "teacher" (õpetaja) becomes the derived noun "student" (õpilane).
! Case !! Standard Estonian !! Pronunciation !! English
|-
| Nominative || maja || /ma-ya/ || house
|-
| Genitive || maja || /ma-ya/ || of a house 
|-
| Partitive || maja || /ma-ya/ || house (object of the sentence) 
|-
| Illative || majja || /ma-jja/ || into a house 
|-
| Inessive || majas || /ma-jas/ || in a house 
|-
| Elative || majast || /ma-jast/ || out of a house 
|-
| Allative || majale || /ma-ja-le/ || to a house 
|-
| Adessive || majal || /ma-jal/ || on a house 
|-
| Ablative || majalt || /ma-jalt/ || from a house 
|-
| Translative || majaks || /ma-jaks/ || as a house 
|-
| Terminative || majani || /ma-ja-ni/ || up to a house 
|-
| Essive || majana || /ma-ja-na/ || as a house (essence)
|-
| Abessive || majata || /ma-ja-ta/ || without a house 
|-
| Comitative || majaga || /ma-ja-ga/ || with a house
|}


== Noun Usage ==
== Using Nouns in Sentences ==  
Nouns are used in Standard Estonian sentences to name or refer to people, places, things, ideas, and concepts. Here is an example of a sentence using a noun:


Standard Estonian nouns can be used in several ways. Nouns can be used as the subject or object of a sentence, as the object of a preposition, or as a possessive.  
* Ma näen koera. (I see a dog.)


=== Subject and Object ===
In this sentence, "koera" is in the partitive case because it is the object of the sentence. Without the noun, the sentence would not make sense.  
Nouns can be used as the subject or object of a sentence. The subject is the person or thing performing the action, while the object is the person or thing receiving the action. For example, in the sentence "John reads a book," John is the subject and the book is the object.  


=== Prepositional Objects ===
Let's look at another example, this time in dialogue format:
Nouns can also be used as the object of a preposition. Prepositions are words that indicate the relationship between two words in a sentence. For example, in the sentence "John reads a book in the library," the library is the object of the preposition "in."


=== Possessives ===
* Person 1: Kus on maja? (Where is the house?)
Nouns can also be used as possessives. Possessives indicate ownership or possession. Possessives are formed by adding the suffix -s to the noun stem. For example, the noun "book" (raamat) becomes the possessive "book's" (raamatu).
* Person 2: Maja on tänaval. (The house is on the street.)


<br><hr>If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.<br>Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎
In this dialogue, "maja" is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence. Person 2 uses the same word ("maja") in the nominative case to refer back to the house in their response.  


== Cultural Information and Interesting Facts ==
Standard Estonian is spoken by approximately 1.1 million people in Estonia, which is roughly one-third of the country's population. Estonian is also spoken by the Estonian diaspora in other countries, particularly in Finland, where there is a sizable community of Estonian speakers. Estonia is a small country located on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the south and Russia to the east. Estonia has a rich cultural heritage that includes traditional folk music, dance, and handicrafts.


==Related Lessons==
If you want to improve your Standard Estonian Grammar, you can also use the [https://polyglotclub.com Polyglot Club] website. [https://polyglotclub.com/find-friends.php?search=send&d=0&f=36&offre1=38 Find native speakers] and ask them any [https://polyglotclub.com/language/standard-estonian/question questions]!
 
== Sources ==
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_language Estonian language]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonia Estonia]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_folk_music Estonian folk music]
 
{{#seo:
|title=Standard Estonian Grammar - Nouns
|keywords=Standard Estonian grammar, Standard Estonian, learn Standard Estonian, Estonian language, nouns in Standard Estonian, declension in Standard Estonian
|description=Learn about the basics of Standard Estonian nouns - how they are classified, declined, and used in sentences. Discover interesting cultural facts about Estonia and its language. Improve your Standard Estonian Grammar with Polyglot Club!
}}
 
<hr>➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.<br>➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎
 
==Other Lessons==
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Give-your-Opinion|Give your Opinion]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have|How to Use Have]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Adjectives|Adjectives]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Negation|Negation]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Negation|Negation]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Questions|Questions]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Questions|Questions]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Gender|Gender]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Articles|Articles]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Adverbs|Adverbs]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Adverbs|Adverbs]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Future-Tense|Future Tense]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Conditional-Mood|Conditional Mood]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Conditional-Mood|Conditional Mood]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Plurals|Plurals]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Plurals|Plurals]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Adjectives|Adjectives]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Articles|Articles]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Pronouns|Pronouns]]


{{Standard-estonian-Page-Bottom}}
{{Standard-estonian-Page-Bottom}}
<span links></span>

Latest revision as of 20:54, 27 March 2023

Estonia-Timeline-PolyglotClub.jpg
Standard Estonian Grammar - Nouns

Hi Standard Estonian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will cover the basics of Standard Estonian nouns - how they are classified, declined, and used in sentences. Nouns are one of the most important parts of the Estonian language, so it's essential to master their grammar and usage to become fluent in Standard Estonian.


Don't miss the chance to check out these pages as you wrap up this lesson: Standard Estonian Grammar → Introduction to Estonian → Alphabet ..., Introduction to Estonian grammar ..., Question Words and Formation & Gender.

What are Nouns[edit | edit source]

Nouns in Standard Estonian are words that name people, places, things, ideas, and concepts. They can be singular or plural, and they are classified as masculine, feminine, or neutral.

Here are some examples of Standard Estonian nouns:

Standard Estonian Pronunciation English
koer /koer/ dog
maja /ma-ya/ house
laud /laud/ table
armastus /ar-mas-tus/ love
naine /nai-ne/ woman
auto /au-to/ car
sugulane /su-gu-la-ne/ relative

Classifying Nouns[edit | edit source]

Nouns in Standard Estonian are classified according to their gender and case. There are three genders in Standard Estonian: masculine, feminine, and neutral. The gender of a noun determines the declension of the noun, and the case of a noun determines its function in the sentence.

Here are some examples of masculine, feminine, and neutral nouns:

Gender Standard Estonian Pronunciation English
Masculine mees /mees/ man
Masculine koer /koer/ dog
Feminine ema /e-ma/ mother
Feminine naine /nai-ne/ woman
Neutral maja /ma-ya/ house
Neutral auto /au-to/ car

Declension of Nouns[edit | edit source]

Declension is the process of changing the form of a noun to indicate its grammatical function. In Standard Estonian, nouns are declined according to their gender, case, and number. There are fourteen grammatical cases in Standard Estonian.

Here is a table showing the declension of a masculine noun:

Case Standard Estonian Pronunciation English
Nominative mees /mees/ man
Genitive mehe /me-he/ of a man
Partitive meest /meest/ man (object of the sentence)
Illative mehesse /me-hes-se/ into a man
Inessive mehes /me-hes/ in a man
Elative mehest /me-hest/ out of a man
Allative mehele /me-he-le/ to a man
Adessive mehel /me-hel/ on a man
Ablative mehelt /me-helt/ from a man
Translative meheks /me-heks/ as a man
Terminative meheni /me-he-ni/ up to a man
Essive mehena /me-he-na/ as a man (essence)
Abessive meheta /me-he-ta/ without a man
Comitative mehega /me-he-ga/ with a man

And here is a table showing the declension of a feminine noun:

Case Standard Estonian Pronunciation English
Nominative naine /nai-ne/ woman
Genitive naise /nai-se/ of a woman
Partitive naist /naist/ woman (object of the sentence)
Illative naisesse /nai-ses-se/ into a woman
Inessive naises /nai-ses/ in a woman
Elative naisest /nai-sest/ out of a woman
Allative naisele /nai-se-le/ to a woman
Adessive naisel /nai-sel/ on a woman
Ablative naiselt /nai-selt/ from a woman
Translative naiseks /nai-seks/ as a woman
Terminative naiseni /nai-se-ni/ up to a woman
Essive naisena /nai-se-na/ as a woman (essence)
Abessive naiseta /nai-se-ta/ without a woman
Comitative naisega /nai-se-ga/ with a woman

And finally, here is a table showing the declension of a neutral noun:

Case Standard Estonian Pronunciation English
Nominative maja /ma-ya/ house
Genitive maja /ma-ya/ of a house
Partitive maja /ma-ya/ house (object of the sentence)
Illative majja /ma-jja/ into a house
Inessive majas /ma-jas/ in a house
Elative majast /ma-jast/ out of a house
Allative majale /ma-ja-le/ to a house
Adessive majal /ma-jal/ on a house
Ablative majalt /ma-jalt/ from a house
Translative majaks /ma-jaks/ as a house
Terminative majani /ma-ja-ni/ up to a house
Essive majana /ma-ja-na/ as a house (essence)
Abessive majata /ma-ja-ta/ without a house
Comitative majaga /ma-ja-ga/ with a house

Using Nouns in Sentences[edit | edit source]

Nouns are used in Standard Estonian sentences to name or refer to people, places, things, ideas, and concepts. Here is an example of a sentence using a noun:

  • Ma näen koera. (I see a dog.)

In this sentence, "koera" is in the partitive case because it is the object of the sentence. Without the noun, the sentence would not make sense.

Let's look at another example, this time in dialogue format:

  • Person 1: Kus on maja? (Where is the house?)
  • Person 2: Maja on tänaval. (The house is on the street.)

In this dialogue, "maja" is in the nominative case because it is the subject of the sentence. Person 2 uses the same word ("maja") in the nominative case to refer back to the house in their response.

Cultural Information and Interesting Facts[edit | edit source]

Standard Estonian is spoken by approximately 1.1 million people in Estonia, which is roughly one-third of the country's population. Estonian is also spoken by the Estonian diaspora in other countries, particularly in Finland, where there is a sizable community of Estonian speakers. Estonia is a small country located on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the south and Russia to the east. Estonia has a rich cultural heritage that includes traditional folk music, dance, and handicrafts.

If you want to improve your Standard Estonian Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources[edit | edit source]

➡ 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. 😎

Other Lessons[edit | edit source]


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