ja / aga / või

And, But, Or

Level 1

ja adds, aga contrasts and või offers a choice: Ma joon teed ja kohvi. (I drink tea and coffee.)

How It Works

ja (and)

ja joins words or sentences: Mul on vend ja õde. (I have a brother and a sister.) Päike paistab ja linnud laulavad. (The sun is shining and the birds are singing.) No comma is needed before it. In writing, ning is a more formal and.

aga (but)

aga shows a contrast, and a comma comes before it: Ta on väike, aga tugev. (She is small but strong.) Ma tahan tulla, aga mul ei ole aega. (I want to come, but I do not have time.)

When you correct a negative, use vaid instead: Ma ei ole soomlane, vaid eestlane. (I am not Finnish but Estonian.) See But (aga, kuid, vaid).

aga can also stand after the first word of a sentence and mean however. Then it takes no comma: Mina aga jään koju. (I, however, am staying home.)

või (or)

või gives a choice, usually without a comma: Kas kohvi või teed? (Coffee or tea?) Ma tulen täna või homme. (I will come today or tomorrow.) For questions with two options, see Either ... Or and Whether.

After a negative. To add to a negative sentence, Estonian uses ega: Ma ei joo kohvi ega teed. (I drink neither coffee nor tea.)

For the comma before other joining words, see Commas Before Clauses.

Examples (6)

  1. Ma joon teed ja kohvi.

    I drink tea and coffee.

  2. Ta on väike, aga tugev.

    She is small but strong.

    A comma comes before aga.

  3. Kas kohvi või teed?

    Coffee or tea?

    The drinks are in the partitive, as in Kas sa tahad kohvi või teed?

  4. Mul on vend ja õde.

    I have a brother and a sister.

  5. Ma tahan tulla, aga mul ei ole aega.

    I want to come, but I do not have time.

  6. Ma tulen täna või homme.

    I will come today or tomorrow.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the comma before aga.

    Ta on väike aga tugev.
    Ta on väike, aga tugev.

    When aga joins two parts as but, a comma comes before it.

  • Adding a comma before ja.

    Ma joon teed, ja kohvi.
    Ma joon teed ja kohvi.

    ja and või usually take no comma, even between two full sentences.

  • Using aga to correct a negative.

    Ma ei ole soomlane, aga eestlane.
    Ma ei ole soomlane, vaid eestlane.

    When the second part replaces what the negative denied, Estonian uses vaid.

How It Connects

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ja / aga / võiLevel 1And, But, Or

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Words in This Pattern

agavõi