olgu + -nud

Conceding a Point (Olgu ... -nud)

Level 6

Olgu ta pealegi oodanud means he may well have waited. You admit the fact, then say it changes nothing.

How It Works

olgu is the jussive of olema (let it be). With a -nud form it makes a past jussive: olgu oodanud (let him have waited). Used this way, it concedes a point: yes, that may be true, but it does not matter.

Shape.

  • olgu + subject + often pealegi (for all I care) or kasvõi (even) + -nud form
  • a comma
  • the main clause with what still holds

Olgu ta pealegi oodanud pool tundi, ma ei kiirusta. (He may well have waited half an hour, but I am not hurrying.)

The olgu clause can also hold a -tud form or an adjective with kui ... tahes: Olgu plaan kui hästi tahes läbi mõeldud, raha meil selleks ei ole. (However well the plan is thought through, we do not have the money for it.)

Plainer options. kuigi or ehkki with an ordinary verb say the same thing more neutrally: Kuigi ta ootas pool tundi, ma ei kiirusta.

Examples (5)

  1. Olgu ta pealegi oodanud pool tundi, ma ei kiirusta.

    He may well have waited half an hour, but I am not going to hurry.

  2. Olgu ta pealegi palju reisinud, eesti keelt ta ei oska.

    He may have travelled a lot, but he does not speak Estonian.

  3. Olgu ta kasvõi sada korda vabandanud, mina talle ei andesta.

    Even if he has apologized a hundred times, I will not forgive him.

  4. Olgu plaan kui hästi tahes läbi mõeldud, raha meil selleks ei ole.

    However well the plan has been thought through, we do not have the money for it.

  5. Kuigi ta ootas pool tundi, ma ei kiirusta.

    Although he waited half an hour, I am not hurrying.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the simple past after olgu.

    Olgu ta pealegi ootas pool tundi, ma ei kiirusta.
    Olgu ta pealegi oodanud pool tundi, ma ei kiirusta.

    For a past event, olgu takes the -nud form, not the simple past. The simple past fits after kuigi or ehkki: Kuigi ta ootas...

  • Leaving out the comma between the two clauses.

    Olgu ta pealegi oodanud pool tundi ma ei kiirusta.
    Olgu ta pealegi oodanud pool tundi, ma ei kiirusta.

    The olgu clause and the main clause are two clauses, so a comma separates them.

How It Connects

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

olgu + -nudLevel 6Conceding a Point (Olgu ... -nud)

Learn This First

olgu with -nud concedes a past point.

Words in This Pattern

-nudolemapealegikasvõi