Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Adverbs

How to form adverbs in Estonian

In today's lesson, we will learn how to form adverbs in Estonian.

While in English adverbs are usually formed by adding -ly to adjectives.

In Estonian many adverbs are formed from adjectives, simply by using the ablative case of the adjective.

Examples

• Aeglane (slow) ➡ becomes aeglaselt (slowly)
• Kaunis (beautiful) ➡ becomes kaunilt (beautifully)

Exceptions

However it's not always the case.

Some words are adverbs by nature.

Examples:

• Nüüd (now)
• tõesti (really)
• varsti (soon)

Behaviour in a Sentence

The following examples use adverbs in different ways and places to demonstrate how it behaves in a sentence.

Do you understand me now ? [pronoun + verb + adverb] kas saate minust nüüd aru?

I need help immediately [noun + adverb] vajan kohe abi

she is very intelligent [adverb + adjective] ta on väga intelligentne

I will always love you [verb + adverb] ma jään teid alati armastama

can we learn german together ? [adverb in a question] kas me võiksime koos saksa keelt õppida?

Sources

• http://mylanguages.org/estonian_adverbs.php
• http://learn101.org/fr/estonien_grammaire.php