Genitive Agent + -tud Participle
Done by Someone (Ema Küpsetatud)
Ema küpsetatud kook means a cake baked by mother. The doer (ema) is in the genitive and comes right before the -tud form.
How It Works
A -tud participle before a noun describes something that has been done: küpsetatud kook (a baked cake), kirjutatud kiri (a written letter).
To say who did it, put the doer in the genitive right before the participle:
- ema küpsetatud kook (a cake baked by mother)
- Tammsaare kirjutatud romaan (a novel written by Tammsaare)
- sõbra kingitud raamat (a book given by a friend)
- laste joonistatud pildid (pictures drawn by the children)
- minu tehtud pilt (a photo I took)
After olema. The same pattern works in the predicate: Maja oli vanaisa ehitatud. (The house had been built by grandfather.)
The participle does not change. A -tud participle before a noun keeps the same form in every case: ema küpsetatud koogiga, laste joonistatud piltidele.
Why not poolt? You will see ema poolt küpsetatud, but Estonian style guides call the genitive the better choice. In impersonal sentences, poolt with a specific person counts as a mistake: say Koogi küpsetas ema or Kook on ema küpsetatud.
Do not confuse -tud with -nud: küpsetanud means that did the baking, so ema küpsetanud kook would be a cake that baked something.
Examples (6)
- See on ema küpsetatud kook.
This is a cake baked by mother.
Word by Word: this is mother's baked cake
ema is genitive (same form as the nominative here).
- Ma loen praegu Tammsaare kirjutatud romaani.
I'm reading a novel written by Tammsaare.
The participle stays the same while romaani is partitive.
- Kas see on sinu tehtud pilt?
Is this a photo you took?
A pronoun doer is also genitive: sinu.
- Laste joonistatud pildid ripuvad seinal.
The pictures drawn by the children hang on the wall.
laste is the genitive plural of laps.
- Õpetaja soovitatud raamat oli väga põnev.
The book recommended by the teacher was very exciting.
õpetaja is the genitive doer.
- Maja oli vanaisa ehitatud.
The house had been built by grandfather.
The genitive doer also works after olema.
Common Mistakes
Putting the doer in the nominative.
See on sõber kingitud raamat.See on sõbra kingitud raamat.The doer must be genitive: sõbra, not sõber.
Using the -nud form instead of -tud.
See on ema küpsetanud kook.See on ema küpsetatud kook.küpsetanud means that did the baking. A thing that was baked needs the -tud form.
Naming a specific person with poolt in an impersonal sentence.
Kook küpsetati ema poolt.Koogi küpsetas ema.Estonian does not use poolt with a specific person in impersonal sentences. Use an active sentence, or the genitive: Kook on ema küpsetatud.
How It Connects
Learn This First
A genitive before a -tud participle names the doer.
Related Patterns
- By (poolt) in Formal Writing
The formal alternative, which is best avoided with specific people.
Level 5 - Participle Phrases Instead of Clauses
The genitive doer is one kind of participle phrase before a noun.
Level 4 - -nud Form as an Adjective
The active -nud participle, which must not be mixed up with -tud.
Level 4 - Is Done or Has Been Done
The genitive doer also appears in olema + -tud sentences.
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice Genitive Agent + -tud Participle in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Estonian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
