tagasi

Ago (Tagasi)

Level 2

Nädal tagasi means a week ago. The time phrase comes first and tagasi comes after it, just like English ago.

How It Works

tagasi means back. After an amount of time it means ago: nädal tagasi (a week ago), kaks aastat tagasi (two years ago), viis minutit tagasi (five minutes ago).

Build the time phrase exactly as when you count things:

  • one unit, nominative: aasta tagasi, tund aega tagasi
  • a number from two up, plus the partitive singular: kolm päeva tagasi, kümme aastat tagasi
  • vague amounts: paar päeva tagasi (a couple of days ago), mõni aeg tagasi (some time ago), kaua aega tagasi (a long time ago)

Because the phrase names a finished moment, the verb is normally in the simple past: Ma kolisin Tartusse kaks aastat tagasi.

Another way to say it. Put the time in the genitive before eest: aasta eest = aasta tagasi, paari päeva eest = paar päeva tagasi. Both are correct; tagasi is the more common one in speech. For "a long time ago" you can also simply say ammu.

The other direction. To count forward from now, use the genitive with pärast: nädala pärast (in a week). Without a time phrase, tagasi keeps its basic meaning: Ma tulen kohe tagasi. (I'll be right back.)

Examples (6)

  1. Ma kolisin Tartusse kaks aastat tagasi.

    I moved to Tartu two years ago.

    Kaks + aastat (partitive singular) + tagasi.

  2. Ta helistas viis minutit tagasi.

    She called five minutes ago.

  3. Abiellusime aasta tagasi.

    We got married a year ago.

    One unit stays in the nominative: aasta.

  4. Nädal tagasi oli väga külm.

    A week ago it was very cold.

  5. Mõni aeg tagasi elasin Soomes.

    Some time ago I lived in Finland.

  6. Rong läks paar minutit tagasi.

    The train left a couple of minutes ago.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting tagasi before the time phrase, as in some other languages.

    Ta helistas tagasi viis minutit.
    Ta helistas viis minutit tagasi.

    tagasi comes after the time phrase. Helistas tagasi on its own means "called back".

  • Using the nominative plural after the number.

    Ma käisin seal kolm aastad tagasi.
    Ma käisin seal kolm aastat tagasi.

    After a number, the noun is in the partitive singular: aastat, päeva, minutit.

  • Using genitive + pärast when you mean "ago".

    Ma nägin teda kahe päeva pärast.
    Ma nägin teda kaks päeva tagasi.

    Kahe päeva pärast counts forward: "in two days" or "two days later". To count back from now, use tagasi.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

tagasiLevel 2Ago (Tagasi)

Learn This First

tagasi follows a time phrase with a number.

Words in This Pattern

tagasi