Adjectives with -lik and -line
Sõbralik is friendly, like a friend. Ajalooline is historic, related to history.
How It Works
Both suffixes turn a noun into an adjective, but they tend to mean different things.
-lik: like or typical of
- sõber → sõbralik (friendly)
- laps → lapselik (childish)
- ema → emalik (motherly)
- amet → ametlik (official)
-line: having something, or related to a field
- triip → triibuline (striped), which means the same as triipudega
- ajalugu → ajalooline (historic, historical)
- kultuur → kultuuriline (cultural)
- keel → keeleline (linguistic)
-line can also sit on a whole phrase: pikad juuksed → pikajuukseline (long-haired).
Which stem? -line always goes on the genitive stem: ajaloo → ajalooline. The stem before -lik varies by word (sõbralik, lapselik, but inimlik), so learn each one as a whole.
Forms. -lik words have kk in the partitive: sõbralik, sõbraliku, sõbralikku; plural sõbralikud, sõbralike, sõbralikke. -line words decline like inimene: ajalooline, ajaloolise, ajaloolist; plural ajaloolised, ajalooliste, ajaloolisi.
Adverbs come from both with -lt: sõbralikult (in a friendly way), ajalooliselt (historically).
Examples (6)
- Meie naabrid on väga sõbralikud.
Our neighbours are very friendly.
Sõber + -lik; the plural is sõbralikud.
- Ära ole nii lapselik!
Don't be so childish!
-lik often means behaving like someone.
- See on ametlik kiri.
This is an official letter.
Amet (office, post) + -lik.
- Tallinna vanalinn on ajalooline paik.
Tallinn's Old Town is a historic place.
Ajalugu has the genitive ajaloo, so it is ajalooline.
- Meie klassis on erineva kultuurilise taustaga õpilasi.
Our class has students from different cultural backgrounds.
Kultuuriline agrees with taustaga in the genitive before -ga.
- Tal oli seljas triibuline särk.
He was wearing a striped shirt.
Triibuline means the same as triipudega (with stripes).
Common Mistakes
Giving a -lik adjective the wrong plural partitive.
Mul on väga sõbralikuid naabreid.Mul on väga sõbralikke naabreid.-lik adjectives take -ke in the plural partitive: sõbralikke, ohtlikke, õnnelikke.
Choosing -line where the word takes -lik.
Ta on väga sõbraline.Ta on väga sõbralik.The suffix is part of the word, and there is no word sõbraline. Learn each adjective with its own suffix.
How It Connects
Learn This First
-lik and -line make adjectives; -line declines like -ne.
Related Patterns
- Adjectives with -ne
The -ne suffix is close to -line, and both change -ne to -se- before endings.
Level 4 - Adjectives with -tuWithout Something (-tu)
The -tu suffix means the opposite: without something.
Level 4 - Plural Genitive in -e
-lik adjectives often have the plural genitive in -e: sõbralike.
Level 5 - Adverbs with -sti and -lt
Both suffixes give adverbs in -lt: sõbralikult, ajalooliselt.
Level 2 - Abstract Nouns (-us, -dus)
Adding -us makes nouns from these adjectives: sõbralikkus (friendliness).
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Adjectives with -lik and -line in Bubblegum
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