ole hea

Asking Nicely (Ole Hea)

Level 3

Ole hea ja ava aken means "Would you open the window, please?" Literally it says "be good and open the window."

How It Works

Estonian has two common ways to make a command sound polite:

  • palun (please): Palun ava aken. or Ava palun aken.
  • ole hea (literally "be good") + a command: Ole hea ja ava aken. or Ole hea, ava aken.

Both parts must match the person you are talking to:

  • one friend (sina): Ole hea ja istu.
  • a group: Olge head ja istuge.
  • one person you address as teie: Olge hea ja istuge. The verb is plural, but the adjective stays singular, as in Te olete lahke. You will also hear olge head here.

The second verb is a real command, so its object is in the nominative if it is a whole thing: ava aken, too raamat.

Similar phrases are ole nii kena (be so kind) and ole nii hea. For an even softer request, use the conditional: Kas sa oleksid nii hea ja aitaksid mind? (Would you be so kind as to help me?)

Outside requests, the words keep their literal meaning: Ole hea laps! means "Be a good child!"

Examples (6)

  1. Ole hea ja ava aken.

    Please open the window.

    Word by Word: be good and open window

  2. Olge head ja istuge.

    Please sit down.

    To a group, both verbs take -ge. To one person addressed as teie, say Olge hea ja istuge.

  3. Ole hea, too mulle klaas vett.

    Could you bring me a glass of water, please?

    A comma can replace ja.

  4. Kui teil on küsimusi, olge head ja küsige!

    If you have questions, please ask!

  5. Ole nii kena ja pane uks kinni.

    Would you be so kind as to close the door?

  6. Kas sa oleksid nii hea ja aitaksid mind?

    Would you be so kind as to help me?

    The conditional makes the request even softer.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a statement form after ole hea ja.

    Ole hea ja avad akna.
    Ole hea ja ava aken.

    The second verb must also be a command. With a command, the whole object stays in the nominative: aken.

  • Mixing a plural phrase with a singular command.

    Olge head ja istu.
    Olge head ja istuge.

    If you start with olge head, the second command also needs -ge.

  • Putting hea in the plural after ole.

    Ole head ja tule siia.
    Ole hea ja tule siia.

    Ole speaks to one person, so hea stays singular. Head goes with olge.

How It Connects

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

ole heaLevel 3Asking Nicely (Ole Hea)

Learn This First

ole hea softens a command.

Words in This Pattern

olema