Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Question-Words-and-Formation

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Standard Estonian → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Negation and Questions → Question Words and Formation

Question Words and Formation

In this lesson, you will learn how to form questions in Estonian using question words and different sentence structures.

Word Order

In Estonian, the word order of questions is generally the same as in statements. That means the word order is subject-verb-object (SVO).

For example:

• Statement: Ma loen raamatut. (I am reading a book.)
• Question: Kas sina loed ka raamatut? (Are you also reading a book?)

However, there are some exceptions:

• When using a question word, the question word comes first, followed by the verb and then the subject (QW-V-S). For example: Mida sa sööd? (What are you eating?)
• When asking a yes/no question, the verb comes first, followed by the subject (V-S). For example: Kas sa tahad minna? (Do you want to go?)
• When using the question word "mis" (what) as the subject of the question, the verb comes first, followed by "mis" and then the rest of the sentence. For example: Mis juhtus? (What happened?)

Question Words

There are several question words in Estonian:

• kes - who
• mis - what
• kus - where
• millal - when
• miks - why
• kuidas - how
• mitu - how many

These question words are used to ask for specific information and are usually placed at the beginning of the sentence.

Question Formation

As mentioned above, when using a question word, the question word comes first, followed by the verb and then the subject (QW-V-S).

For example:

• Kes tuleb hiljem? (Who is coming later?)
• Kus sa oled? (Where are you?)
• Kuidas sa selle tegid? (How did you do that?)

When asking a yes/no question, the verb comes first, followed by the subject (V-S).

For example:

• Kas sa tuled ka kaasa? (Are you coming along?)
• Kas sa räägid eesti keelt? (Do you speak Estonian?)

When using "mis" (what) as the subject of the question, the verb comes first, followed by "mis" and then the rest of the sentence.

For example:

• Mis juhtus? (What happened?)
• Mis on selle näituse teema? (What is the theme of this exhibition?)

Question Formation with Negation

When negating a question, the negation particle "ei" is usually placed before the verb.

For example:

• Kas sa ei tule kaasa? (Aren't you coming along?)
• Kas sa ei räägi eesti keelt? (Don't you speak Estonian?)

You can also use other negative words to negate questions, such as "mitte" (not) and "üldse mitte" (not at all).

For example:

• Miks sa ei taha? (Why don't you want to?)
• Miks sa üldse ei taha? (Why don't you want to at all?)

Practice

Practice asking and answering questions using the following question words:

• Kes
• Mis
• Kus
• Millal
• Miks
• Kuidas
• Mitu

Example dialogue:

Person 1:	Kes sa oled?
Person 2:	Ma olen Liina.
Person 1:	Kus sa elad?
Person 2:	Ma elan Tallinnas.
Person 1:	Miks sa siin oled?
Person 2:	Ma otsin tööd.

Conclusion

In this lesson, you have learned how to form questions in Estonian using question words and different sentence structures. You have also learned how to use negation in questions. Practice asking and answering questions in various situations to improve your Estonian language skills!

Excellent job on conquering this lesson! Consider delving into these related pages: Cases and pronouns & Future Tense.

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

• Verbs and tenses
• Past Tense
• Adverbs
• How to Use Be
• Conjunctions
• 0 to A1 Course
• Adjectives and comparison
• Cases and pronouns
• Prepositions
• Give your Opinion

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