Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Cases-and-pronouns

Standard Estonian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Cases and pronouns

Welcome to this exciting lesson on Standard Estonian grammar! Today, we will dive into the fascinating world of cases and pronouns. Understanding these concepts is essential as they form the backbone of sentence construction in Estonian. Just like how in English we say "I see the dog" or "The dog sees me", Estonian uses cases to convey the roles of nouns and pronouns in a sentence.

In this lesson, we will explore the various cases used in Estonian, how they affect pronouns, and provide you with plenty of examples to illustrate these points. We will also engage in practical exercises to reinforce your learning. By the end of this lesson, you will have a solid understanding of how to use cases with pronouns effectively!

Importance of Cases in Estonian

Estonian is a language rich in grammatical cases, which helps convey meaning without needing additional words. Cases determine the grammatical function of nouns, pronouns, and adjectives in a sentence. This allows for a flexible word order, making Estonian unique and expressive.

Overview of Estonian Cases

Estonian has a total of 14 grammatical cases. However, for beginners, we will focus on the most commonly used cases:

1. Nominative: The subject of the sentence.

2. Genitive: Indicates possession.

3. Partitive: Used to express partiality or incompleteness.

4. Accusative: Indicates the direct object of the action.

5. Dative: Indicates the indirect object, often the recipient.

6. Ablative: Indicates movement away from something.

Let's break these down further!

Nominative Case

The nominative case is used for the subject of the sentence. It answers the question "who?" or "what?".

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
koer	/kɔːr/	dog
laps	/lɑps/	child
raamat	/ˈrɑːmɑt/	book
auto	/ˈɑʊtɔ/	car
inimene	/ˈinimɛnɛ/	person

Genitive Case

The genitive case shows possession and answers "whose?".

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
koera	/ˈkɔːrɑ/	of the dog
lapse	/ˈlɑpsɛ/	of the child
raamatu	/ˈrɑːmɑtʊ/	of the book
auto	/ˈɑʊtɔ/	of the car
inimese	/ˈinimɛnɛ/	of the person

Partitive Case

The partitive case is used to express an incomplete quantity or when something is not fully defined.

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
koera	/ˈkɔːrɑ/	some dog
last	/lɑst/	some child
raamatut	/ˈrɑːmɑtʊt/	some book
autot	/ˈɑʊtɔt/	some car
inimest	/ˈinimɛst/	some person

Accusative Case

The accusative case indicates the direct object of an action.

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
koera	/ˈkɔːrɑ/	the dog
last	/lɑst/	the child
raamatut	/ˈrɑːmɑtʊt/	the book
autot	/ˈɑʊtɔt/	the car
inimest	/ˈinimɛst/	the person

Dative Case

The dative case indicates the indirect object, often the recipient of an action.

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
koerale	/ˈkɔːrɑlɛ/	to the dog
lapsele	/ˈlɑpsɛlɛ/	to the child
raamatule	/ˈrɑːmɑtulɛ/	to the book
autole	/ˈɑʊtɔlɛ/	to the car
inimesele	/ˈinimɛsɛlɛ/	to the person

Ablative Case

The ablative case is used to indicate movement away from something.

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
koeralt	/ˈkɔːrɑlt/	from the dog
lapselt	/lɑpsɛlt/	from the child
raamatult	/ˈrɑːmɑtʊlt/	from the book
autolt	/ˈɑʊtɔlt/	from the car
inimeselt	/ˈinimɛsɛlt/	from the person

Pronouns and Their Cases

Now that we have a good grasp of the cases, let's see how they apply to pronouns. Personal pronouns in Estonian change form depending on the case they are used in.

== Personal Pronouns in Estonian

Here are the personal pronouns and their forms in different cases:

Pronoun	Nominative	Genitive	Partitive	Accusative	Dative	Ablative
I (minä)	mina	minu	mind	mind	minule	minult
you (sinä)	sina	sinu	sind	sind	sinule	sinult
he (hän)	tema	tema	teda	teda	temale	temalt
she (hän)	tema	tema	teda	teda	temale	temalt
we (me)	meie	meie	meid	meid	meile	meilt
you (te)	teie	teie	teid	teid	teile	teilt
they (he)	nemad	nende	neid	neid	neile	neilt

Examples of Pronouns in Sentences

Let's look at how these pronouns can be used in sentences.

Standard Estonian	Pronunciation	English
Mina näen koera.	/ˈminɑ ˈnɛːn ˈkɔːrɑ/	I see a dog.
Tema armastab raamatuid.	/ˈtɛmɑ ˈɑrmɑstɑb ˈrɑːmɑtʊid/	He loves books.
Meie läheme autole.	/ˈmeɪɛ ˈlɛhɛmɛ ˈɑʊtɔlɛ/	We are going to the car.
Nemad mängivad.	/ˈnɛmɑd ˈmæŋivɑd/	They are playing.
Sina annad mulle raamat.	/ˈsinɑ ˈɑnnɑd ˈmule ˈrɑːmɑt/	You give me a book.

Exercises and Practice Scenarios

Now that we've covered the theory, it's time to put your knowledge to the test! Below are some exercises to help reinforce what you've learned.

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the pronoun in the appropriate case.

1. _____ (I) näen _____ (the dog).

2. _____ (he) armastab _____ (the book).

3. _____ (we) läheme _____ (to the car).

4. _____ (they) mängivad _____ (from the child).

5. _____ (you) annad _____ (to me) raamat.

Solutions to Exercise 1

1. Mina näen koera.

2. Tema armastab raamatut.

3. Meie läheme autole.

4. Nemad mängivad lapselt.

5. Sina annad mulle raamat.

Exercise 2: Case Identification

Identify the case of the underlined word in each sentence.

1. Mina armastan _koera_.

2. Tema annab _minule_ raamat.

3. Meie tuleme _autolt_.

4. Nemad mängivad _lastelt_.

5. Sina näed _raamatuid_.

Solutions to Exercise 2

1. Partitive

2. Dative

3. Ablative

4. Ablative

5. Partitive

Exercise 3: Sentence Construction

Construct sentences using the given prompts.

1. (I) / (see) / (the car)

2. (they) / (give) / (the book) / (to you)

3. (we) / (see) / (the child)

4. (you) / (love) / (the dog)

5. (he) / (go) / (from the person)

Solutions to Exercise 3

1. Mina näen autot.

2. Nemad annavad raamatu sinule.

3. Meie näeme last.

4. Sina armastad koera.

5. Tema läheb inimeselt.

Exercise 4: Translate the Sentences

Translate the following sentences into Estonian.

1. I see a book.

2. They love the dog.

3. You give me the car.

4. We are going from the child.

5. He has a dog.

Solutions to Exercise 4

1. Mina näen raamatut.

2. Nemad armastavad koera.

3. Sina annad mulle auto.

4. Meie läheme lapselt.

5. Temal on koer.

Exercise 5: Matching Pronouns to Cases

Match the pronouns to their correct case forms.

1. I - _____

2. You (singular) - _____

3. He - _____

4. We - _____

5. They - _____

Solutions to Exercise 5

1. mina

2. sina

3. tema

4. meie

5. nemad

Exercise 6: Fill in the Correct Case

Fill in the blanks with the correct case form of the given pronoun.

1. _____ (I) armastan _____ (dog) - (nominative).

2. _____ (we) anname _____ (child) - (dative).

3. _____ (he) näeb _____ (book) - (accusative).

4. _____ (you) ootad _____ (car) - (partitive).

5. _____ (they) tulevad _____ (the person) - (ablative).

Solutions to Exercise 6

1. Mina armastan koera.

2. Meie anname lapsele.

3. Tema näeb raamatut.

4. Sina ootad autot.

5. Nemad tulevad inimeselt.

Exercise 7: Create Your Own Sentences

Using the pronouns and cases you've learned, create three sentences of your own.

Example Solutions for Exercise 7

1. Mina näen raamatut.

2. Sina armastad koera.

3. Nemad tulevad autolt.

Exercise 8: Case Quiz

Determine the case of the underlined words in the following sentences.

1. Mina armastan _koera_.

2. Tema annab _raamatule_.

3. Meie tuleme _inimesele_.

4. Nemad mängivad _lastega_.

5. Sina näed _auto_.

Solutions to Exercise 8

1. Partitive

2. Dative

3. Dative

4. Ablative

5. Accusative

Exercise 9: Convert to Genitive

Convert the following sentences into the genitive case.

1. The dog of the child.

2. The book of the person.

3. The car of the family.

4. The child of the teacher.

5. The house of the neighbor.

Solutions to Exercise 9

1. Lapse koer.

2. Inimese raamat.

3. Perekonna auto.

4. Õpetaja laps.

5. Naabri maja.

Exercise 10: Pronoun Transformation

Transform the following sentences by changing the pronouns to the appropriate case.

1. I see you. (Nominative)

2. They will give us the book. (Dative)

3. He loves her. (Accusative)

4. We want to see you. (Partitive)

5. You are coming from them. (Ablative)

Solutions to Exercise 10

1. Mina näen sind.

2. Nemad annavad meile raamatu.

3. Tema armastab teda.

4. Meie tahame näha sind.

5. Sina tuled neilt.

The journey through Estonian cases and pronouns is an essential step in your learning path. Mastering these will significantly improve your ability to communicate in Estonian. Remember to practice regularly, and soon, using cases and pronouns will become second nature!

Table of Contents - Standard Estonian Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Introduction to Estonian

• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Basic Sentence Structure

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Common Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Cases
• Personal Pronouns

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Numbers 1-100
• Telling Time

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense

  ---

Daily Activities

• Daily Routine
• Hobbies and Free Time

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Declension
• Adverbs

  ---

Food and Dining

• Food and Drinks
• Eating Out

  ---

Estonian Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Traditional Music and Dance

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Phrases

  ---

Prepositions and Conjunctions

• Prepositions
• Conjunctions

  ---

At Home and Work

• Home and Furniture
• Work and Professions

  ---

Estonian History

• Historical Overview
• Estonian Language History

  ---

Negation and Questions

• Negation
• Question Words and Formation

Other Lessons

• Nouns and possessive suffixes
• Nouns
• Adjectives
• Gender
• Question words and interrogative sentences
• Articles
• Adjectives and comparison
• Verb to be and personal pronouns
• Future Tense
• How to Use Be