Estonian/Negative and Conjunctions

Eitav kõneliik

This lesson will be on the Estonian negative and some conjunctions.

Forming the Negative

Olevik

The negative is formed with the word "no" which is "ei", and by taking a conjugated form of a verb without the personal suffix:

• to be: olema -> ma olen -> ei ole
• to know: teadma -> ma tean -> ei tea
• to want: tahtma -> ma tahan -> ei taha

One very convenient aspect about the negative is that it's the same for all persons and quantities of pronouns:

-ma kesksõna	mina	sina	tema	meie	teie	nemad
olema	ei ole
teadma	ei tea
tahtma	ei taha

The word "ei" in verb negation is considered to be an auxiliary verb, and roughly translates to "do not" or "don't".

Minelik

-ma kesksõna	mina	sina	tema	meie	teie	nemad
olema	ei olnud
teadma	ei teadnud
tahtma	ei tahtnud

Tulevik

Estonian has no auxiliary verb for the Future like "I will", so the negative future is composed of "ei" simply followed by the simple negative form of the verb (not) to be performed in the future.

-ma kesksõna	mina	sina	tema	meie	teie	nemad
olema	ei ole varsti
teadma	ei tea varsti
tahtma	ei taha varsti

Some Conjunctions

Conjunctions are called "sidesõnad" (tying words)

Not preceded by comma in simple sentences			Preceded by comma in simple sentences
Estonian	English	Note	Estonian	English	Note
ja	and		et	that so that	If followed by a Conditional clause, describes reason and effect. Comma may come before the preceding word, like in "nii et"
ning	and	Often used when "ja" has been exhausted	aga	but
ega	nor	Can also begin questions in the form of "Isn't it... ?"	kuid	but
või	or		sest	because
ehk	also known as, otherwise known as		kui	if when
			siis	then
			vaid	but/only

Vocabulary

• sai - saia - .saia - white bread
• leib - leiva - .leiba - black bread
• piim - piima - .piima - milk
• mahl - mahla - .mahla - juice
• söök - söögi - sööki - food
• jah - Yes
• ei - No
• võib-olla - maybe
• eesti keel - Estonian language

Verbs

• saama (to get) - also means to be able to or allowed to

English	-ma kesksõna	mina	sina	tema	meie	teie	nemad	Negative eitav
to be allowed to	tohtima*	tohin	tohid	tohib	tohime	tohite	tohivad	ei tohi
to be able to	suutma*	suudan	suudad	suudab	suudame	suudate	suudavad	ei suuda
to have the strength to	jaksama*	jaksan	jaksad	jaksab	jaksame	jaksate	jaksavad	ei jaksa
to be capable to to know how to	oskama*	oskan	oskad	oskab	oskame	oskate	oskavad	ei oska
to need to	pidama	pean	pead	peab	peame	peate	peavad	ei pea
to do to make	tegema	teen	teed	teeb	teeme	teete	teevad	ei tee
to eat	sööma	söön	sööd	sööb	sööme	sööte	söövad	ei söö
to drink	jooma	joon	jood	joob	joome	joote	joovad	ei joo
to know someone to feel	tundma	tunnen	tunned	tunneb	tunneme	tunnete	tunnevad	ei tunne

• * - When specifying an action, these verbs refer to a -da Infinitive, which we haven't learned yet. Notice that pidama takes the -ma Infinitive.

Conjunctions and the Negative

Some sentences sound unnatural when using certain combinations of Conjunctions and the Negative without some adjustments similar to those in English:

• Ma ei tea, et sa jood vett - incorrect "I don't know that you drink water" "jood" is an ongoing or passive action. This is also unnatural in English, but acceptable in some informal cases.
• Ma ei teadnud, et sa jood vett - "I didn't know you drink water". This uses the simple past, which we haven't learned yet.

Kas

"Kas" is a question determiner, which roughly translates to "whether" and "is it that...". In questions it can be replaced by a simple reversal which is common for asking questions in languages of European descent: "Kas sa tahad?" -> "Tahad sa?"

Phrases

Ma ei joo Translation I don't drink Ta oskab seda Translation He knows how to do this Ma ei oska eesti keelt Translation I can't speak Estonian Ma tean, et sa oled siin Translation I know that you are here Kas sa tahad mahla või vett? Translation Do you want juice or water? Ma tean, et sa ei tunne mind Translation I know that you don't know me Ma pean oskama seda Translation I must know how to do this