Endings on Foreign Names
Shakespeare ends in e on paper but in an r sound out loud. So the ending goes after an apostrophe: Shakespeare'i.
How It Works
Foreign names keep their original spelling, and Estonian case endings are added to them. The question is whether an apostrophe (') goes between the name and the ending.
Use an apostrophe when the written end and the spoken end differ.
- Written with a vowel, spoken with a consonant: Shakespeare [šeikspiir] → Shakespeare'i, Cambridge [keimbridž] → Cambridge'is, Google → Google'ist
- Written with a consonant, spoken with a vowel: Bordeaux [bordoo] → Bordeaux'sse, Dumas [dümaa] → Dumas'd
For names of the second kind, the genitive is just the apostrophe: Bordeaux' vein (Bordeaux wine), Versailles' rahu (the Treaty of Versailles).
No apostrophe when both ends match. If the name is written and spoken with a consonant at the end, or with a vowel at the end, the ending goes on directly: Bachi, Bachil (Bach ends in a consonant sound), Rousseauga, Shelleyle (both end in a vowel sound).
The ending follows the sound. Choose the ending as if the name were written the way it sounds. Shakespeare sounds like it ends in a consonant, so it takes a stem vowel: Shakespeare'i, Shakespeare'ile.
Estonian names usually do not take an apostrophe: Tallinnas, Mari juurde. Official documents make one exception. When a surname looks like a genitive, such as Metsa, an apostrophe shows its base form: Metsa'le, but Mets → Metsale.
Examples (6)
- Me lugesime tunnis Shakespeare'i.
We read Shakespeare in class.
Shakespeare is written with a final e but spoken with a final r sound, so an apostrophe goes before -i.
- Nad sõitsid puhkusele Bordeaux'sse.
They went on vacation to Bordeaux.
Bordeaux is written with a final x but spoken with a final vowel [bordoo].
- Ta õppis kaks aastat Cambridge'is.
He studied in Cambridge for two years.
- Ma otsisin selle Google'ist.
I looked it up on Google.
- Bordeaux' vein on kuulus kogu maailmas.
Bordeaux wine is famous all over the world.
The genitive of Bordeaux is just the apostrophe.
- Ta kuulab õhtuti Bachi.
She listens to Bach in the evenings.
Bach ends in a consonant both on paper and out loud, so there is no apostrophe.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out the apostrophe when the written and spoken ends differ.
Ta õppis Cambridgeis.Ta õppis Cambridge'is.Cambridge is written with a final e but spoken with a final consonant, so the apostrophe must separate the ending.
Adding an apostrophe when the written and spoken ends match.
Ta kuulab Bach'i.Ta kuulab Bachi.Bach ends in a consonant both in writing and in speech, so the ending goes on directly without an apostrophe.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Endings on foreign names follow the key forms.
Related Patterns
- The Estonian Alphabet
Foreign names keep letters like x, w and y that Estonian words rarely use.
Level 1 - Genitive (Owner Form)
Some foreign names form the genitive with the apostrophe alone: Bordeaux' vein.
Level 1 - Illative (-sse)
The illative often appears after an apostrophe: Bordeaux'sse.
Level 1 - Partitive Endings
The partitive of a foreign name follows its pronunciation, just like other words.
Level 2 - Common Abbreviations (nt, jne)Common Abbreviations
Another written convention for adding endings to words that are not ordinary Estonian words.
Level 5
Practice Endings on Foreign Names in Bubblegum
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