Building Compound Nouns
raamat + kogu gives raamatukogu (library), and buss + peatus gives bussipeatus (bus stop). Write them as one word and add endings only at the end: raamatukogus, bussipeatusest.
How It Works
Estonian builds new words by joining nouns, and the result is written as one word: bussipeatus (bus stop), raamatukogu (library, literally book collection), lennujaam (airport, literally flight station). The last part is the main word and says what the thing is. The first part only describes it.
- Genitive first part: very often the first part is a genitive singular. It shows what something belongs to or what it is for: aknaklaas (window glass, from aken, akna), söögilaud (dining table, from söök, söögi), lennujaam (from lend, lennu).
- Nominative first part: some compounds use the basic form, especially when the first part names the type or a key feature of the thing: jalgratas (bicycle), tütarlaps (girl), keelpill (string instrument). Longer words ending in -us usually keep that form: haridusministeerium (ministry of education).
- Same form either way: for many words the two forms are identical, as in kodumaa (homeland) from kodu.
- Plural first part: a few everyday words have a plural genitive, like lasteaed (kindergarten) and lastearst (children's doctor). Usually, though, the singular is used even for a plural meaning: raamaturiiul (bookshelf).
Only the last part changes: raamatukogu, raamatukogus, raamatukogudes. The main stress falls on the first syllable of the whole word. Because you cannot always predict whether the first part is a genitive or a nominative, learn each compound as a whole word.
Writing the parts together also changes the meaning: suurlinn is a big city in the sense of a metropolis, while suur linn just describes a town as big.
Examples (6)
- Ma ootan sind bussipeatuses.
I will wait for you at the bus stop.
Only the last part, peatus, takes the ending -s.
- Raamatukogu on täna kinni.
The library is closed today.
- Sõit lennujaama võtab pool tundi.
The ride to the airport takes half an hour.
lennu is the genitive of lend (flight).
- Ta töötab lasteaias.
She works at a kindergarten.
laste is a plural genitive, which only a few compounds use.
- Ostsin endale uue jalgratta.
I bought myself a new bicycle.
jalg (foot) stays in the nominative.
- Eesti on minu kodumaa.
Estonia is my homeland.
Common Mistakes
Writing a compound as two words.
Ma ootan bussi peatuses.Ma ootan bussipeatuses.Written apart, bussi peatus reads as a phrase about some particular bus. A compound noun is always written as one word.
Joining the parts with a hyphen.
Kus on lähim bussi-peatus?Kus on lähim bussipeatus?Ordinary compounds have no hyphen. A hyphen only appears in special cases, such as a shared part in laulu- ja tantsupidu.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The first part of a compound is often a genitive.
Related Patterns
- Nominative (Basic Form)
Some compounds keep the first part in the nominative.
Level 1 - One Word or Two
Covers harder choices between writing words together or apart.
Level 5 - Shared Compound Parts (laulu- ja tantsupidu)Shared Compound Parts
Shows how two compounds can share their last part.
Level 5 - Very Long Compounds
The same rules build compounds of three or more parts.
Level 6 - Doer Nouns (-ja)
-ja nouns often form the last part of a compound, as in tolmuimeja.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Building Compound Nouns in Bubblegum
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