Commas Before Clauses

Level 3

Ma tean, et ta tuleb has a comma before et. Ta on väike, aga tugev has a comma before aga, but Päike paistab ja linnud laulavad has no comma before ja.

How It Works

Estonian comma rules are stricter than English ones. A comma marks where one clause ends and another begins, so you place it by looking at the grammar of the sentence, not by listening for a pause.

  • Before a subordinate clause: a clause that starts with et, kui, sest, kuna, kuigi, nagu, kuni, a relative word such as kes, mis, kus, or a question word always gets a comma before it: Ma tean, et ta tuleb. Ma ei tea, kus ta elab. This also applies to a short clause with a da-infinitive: Ma ei tea, mida teha.
  • On both sides: when the subordinate clause sits in the middle of the sentence, it gets a comma at each end: Raamat, mille ma eile ostsin, on väga huvitav.
  • Before aga, kuid and vaid: these contrast words take a comma: Ta on väike, aga tugev. Ma ei ela Tallinnas, vaid Tartus.
  • No comma before ja, ning, või and ega: Päike paistab ja linnud laulavad. Kas tuled täna või homme?

Some useful details:

  • If a subordinate clause has just ended, its closing comma stays, even before ja: Märkasin, et leib on otsas, ja läksin poodi.
  • A comparison with kui or nagu takes a comma only when it has its own verb: Ta on pikem kui mina (no verb, no comma), but Ta vaatas mind, nagu oleksin võõras.
  • With two-word links such as nii et, enne kui and sellepärast et, the comma usually goes before the whole link: Sadas vihma, nii et jäime koju. Fixed pairs like olgugi et and ilma et are never split by a comma.
  • When aga or vaid does not join two parts but means however or only, there is no comma: Meie aga läksime edasi. Lossist on vaid varemed järel.

Examples (6)

  1. Ma tean, et ta tuleb homme.

    I know that he is coming tomorrow.

    A comma always comes before et.

  2. Raamat, mille ma eile ostsin, on väga huvitav.

    The book that I bought yesterday is very interesting.

    The relative clause in the middle is closed with a second comma.

  3. Ta on väike, aga tugev.

    She is small but strong.

    aga takes a comma.

  4. Päike paistab ja linnud laulavad.

    The sun is shining and the birds are singing.

    No comma before ja.

  5. Märkasin, et leib on otsas, ja läksin poodi.

    I noticed that the bread had run out, and I went to the shop.

    The comma before ja closes the et-clause.

  6. Ta on pikem kui mina.

    He is taller than me.

    There is no verb after kui, so there is no comma.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the comma before et.

    Ma arvan et see on hea mõte.
    Ma arvan, et see on hea mõte.

    Every subordinate clause needs a comma before it, even a short one. English often has no comma here, but Estonian always does.

  • Forgetting the second comma after a clause in the middle of a sentence.

    Mees, kes seal seisab on minu isa.
    Mees, kes seal seisab, on minu isa.

    A relative clause inside the sentence is closed with a comma before the main verb continues.

  • Leaving out the comma before vaid.

    Ma ei ela Tallinnas vaid Tartus.
    Ma ei ela Tallinnas, vaid Tartus.

    When vaid means but rather and joins two parts, it takes a comma, just like aga and kuid.

How It Connects

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

Commas Before ClausesLevel 3

Learn This First

Commas mark the clauses learned with et, sest and aga.

Words in This Pattern

etagakuidvaidningvõiega