-mas Form

Busy Doing (-mas)

Level 3

Ema on magamas means Mom is sleeping right now. Add -s to the ma-infinitive: magama becomes magamas.

How It Works

The ma-infinitive has several forms that work like cases. The -mas form works like the inessive -s (in): it places someone in an activity.

Form: ma-infinitive + s: magama → magamas, sööma → söömas, mängima → mängimas, ujuma → ujumas.

Uses.

  • olema + -mas: someone is busy with something, often away somewhere: Ema on magamas. Lapsed on õues mängimas.
  • käima + -mas: going somewhere to do something and coming back: Ma käisin eile ujumas. Käisime laupäeval metsas marju korjamas.
  • After verbs of seeing and finding: Nägin teda pargis jooksmas. (I saw him running in the park.)

-ma, -mas, -mast. The three forms answer where to, where and where from: Lähen ujuma (I am going swimming), Olen ujumas (I am out swimming), Tulen ujumast (I am coming back from swimming).

Not a general "-ing". Estonian has no continuous tense. For what you are doing right now, the plain present is usual: Ma söön. (I am eating.) olema + -mas stresses being busy with, or out doing, an activity. With some verbs it also describes a change that is under way: Ilm on paranemas. (The weather is getting better.)

Examples (6)

  1. Ema on magamas, räägi vaiksemalt.

    Mom is sleeping, so talk more quietly.

  2. Ma käisin eile ujumas.

    I went swimming yesterday.

    Word by Word: I went yesterday swimming-in

    käima + -mas: I went and came back.

  3. Lapsed on õues mängimas.

    The kids are outside playing.

  4. Nägin teda pargis jooksmas.

    I saw him running in the park.

  5. Käisime laupäeval metsas marju korjamas.

    On Saturday we went to the forest to pick berries.

    käima always pairs with -mas: we went there, picked berries and came back.

  6. Ilm on paranemas.

    The weather is getting better.

    olema + -mas can describe a change that is under way.

Common Mistakes

  • Using -ma after käima.

    Ma käisin eile ujuma.
    Ma käisin eile ujumas.

    käima describes a round trip, and the activity at the place takes -mas.

  • Using -mas with minema.

    Ma lähen ujumas.
    Ma lähen ujuma.

    Going toward an activity takes the ma-infinitive, like the illative "into".

  • Using -ma with olema.

    Ema on magama.
    Ema on magamas.

    Being in the middle of an activity takes -mas. Compare Ema läks magama (Mom went to bed).

How It Connects

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

-mas FormLevel 3Busy Doing (-mas)

Learn This First

The -mas form is the ma-infinitive with an inner-case ending.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

käima-ma