Common Abbreviations (nt, jne)
Common Abbreviations
When you see nt, say näiteks. When you see jne, say ja nii edasi. The short form is only for the eye.
How It Works
These abbreviations appear in almost every newspaper, textbook and form:
- nt = näiteks (for example)
- jne = ja nii edasi (and so on)
- jm = ja muud (and others), jms = ja muud seesugust (and the like), jt = ja teised (and others)
- st = see tähendab (that is); some texts write s.t
- s.o = see on (that is), sh = sealhulgas (including)
- u = umbes (about)
- v.a = välja arvatud (except), k.a = kaasa arvatud (including)
- vt = vaata (see), vrd = võrdle (compare), lk = lehekülg (page), nr = number
Reading aloud. Say the full words. A noun inside an abbreviation takes the case the sentence needs: Vt lk 15 is read vaata lehekülge viisteist, because vaatama takes the partitive here.
Full stops. Well-known abbreviations need no full stop: nt, jne, u, vt. When an abbreviation could be mistaken for a real word, dots go inside it with no spaces: v.a, k.a, e.m.a (enne meie ajaarvamist, BC). Some, like s.o, keep the dot for clarity.
Commas. Jne and jm begin with ja, and Estonian puts no comma before ja in a list. So there is no comma before jne either: leiba, piima, juustu jne.
Capital-letter abbreviations are different: they are read letter by letter or as a word, such as USA (uu-ess-aa) or NATO (nato).
Examples (6)
- Võta kaasa soojad riided, nt müts ja kindad.
Bring warm clothes, for example a hat and gloves.
Read nt as näiteks.
- Poes müüakse puu- ja köögivilju, leiba, piima jne.
The shop sells fruit and vegetables, bread, milk and so on.
Read jne as ja nii edasi. There is no comma before it.
- Sõit kestab u kaks tundi.
The trip takes about two hours.
Read u as umbes.
- Kohtumine on neljapäeval, st ülehomme.
The meeting is on Thursday, that is, the day after tomorrow.
Read st as see tähendab.
- Muuseum on avatud iga päev, v.a esmaspäeval.
The museum is open every day except Monday.
Read v.a as välja arvatud. The inner dot shows it is not the word va.
- Vt lk 15.
See page 15.
Read aloud as vaata lehekülge viisteist, with lehekülg in the partitive.
Common Mistakes
Putting a comma before jne.
Ostsin leiba, piima, juustu, jne.Ostsin leiba, piima, juustu jne.Jne means ja nii edasi, and Estonian puts no comma before ja at the end of a list.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Abbreviations belong to written style.
Related Patterns
- Saying the Date and Year
Dates and years often appear with abbreviations such as a (aasta) and saj (sajand).
Level 2 - Commas Before Clauses
The no-comma rule before jne follows the general comma rules for lists with ja.
Level 3 - Formal Letters
Formal and official texts use these abbreviations often.
Level 4 - Hedging in Academic Estonian
Academic writing uses abbreviations such as vrd, vt and nt in its references.
Level 6
Words in This Pattern
Practice Common Abbreviations (nt, jne) in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Estonian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
