Self-Changing Verbs (-u-/-du-)

Changes That Happen by Themselves

Level 4

Ma avan ukse means I open the door. Uks avaneb means the door opens by itself. The suffix -ne- or -u- takes away the doer.

How It Works

Compare the pairs. In the first sentence someone does it. In the second, it simply happens.

  • muutma → muutuma: Ta muutis plaani. (She changed the plan.) Ilm muutus külmaks. (The weather turned cold.)
  • avama → avanema: Ma avasin akna. (I opened the window.) Uks avanes vaikselt. (The door opened quietly.)
  • sulgema → sulguma: Ta sulges ukse. (He closed the door.) Uksed sulguvad. (The doors are closing.)
  • peatama → peatuma: Politsei peatas auto. (The police stopped the car.) Buss peatus maja ees. (The bus stopped in front of the house.)
  • koguma → kogunema: Ta kogub marke. (He collects stamps.) Inimesed kogunesid väljakule. (People gathered in the square.)

The suffix is -u- (muutuma, sulguma), -du- (pöörduma, from pöörama) or -ne- (avanema, kogunema). A few of these verbs describe something a person does to themselves: riietuma (get dressed), pöörduma (turn around, or turn to someone): Ta pöördus arsti poole. (She turned to a doctor for help.)

These verbs never take an object. A change of state often goes with the translative: Ilm muutus külmaks.

Compare the impersonal: Uks avati means someone opened the door. Uks avanes means it opened by itself.

Only a change that can really happen by itself has such a verb. There is no arreteeruma, because only a person can arrest someone.

Examples (6)

  1. Ilm muutus õhtuks külmaks.

    By evening the weather had turned cold.

    Muutuma has no object; the thing that changes is the subject.

  2. Uks avanes ja tuppa astus vanaema.

    The door opened and Grandma stepped into the room.

  3. Tähelepanu, uksed sulguvad!

    Attention, the doors are closing!

  4. Buss peatus otse maja ees.

    The bus stopped right in front of the house.

  5. Ta pöördus ümber ja naeratas.

    She turned around and smiled.

  6. Väljakule kogunes palju inimesi.

    A lot of people gathered in the square.

    Palju inimesi is an amount, so the verb stays singular.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the doing verb when nobody does anything.

    Uks avas.
    Uks avanes.

    Avama needs a doer and an object: Ma avasin ukse. When the door opens by itself, use avanema.

  • Using muutma for a change that just happens.

    Ilm muutis külmaks.
    Ilm muutus külmaks.

    Muutma means to change something. The weather is not changing anything, so use muutuma.

How It Connects

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

Self-Changing Verbs (-u-/-du-)Level 4Changes That Happen by Themselves

Learn This First

The automative is the counterpart of the causative.