saama + -tud
Getting It Done (Sai Tehtud)
Töö sai tehtud means the work got done. Saama plus the -tud form stresses reaching the finished result.
How It Works
Use a form of saama plus the -tud (or -dud) form of the main verb:
- Töö sai tehtud. (The work got done.)
- Nõud said pestud. (The dishes got washed.)
- Töö saab homme tehtud. (The work will get done tomorrow.)
The thing that got done is the subject, and saama agrees with it: töö sai, nõud said. The doer is often not named. In speech you can add the doer with -l: Mul sai see raamat lõpuks loetud. (I finally got that book read.)
Compare three related patterns:
- Töö on tehtud. The work is done (a state).
- Töö sai tehtud. The work got done (it reached the result).
- Töö jäi tegemata. The work did not get done.
This pattern is typical of everyday speech. In careful writing, a simple past or the impersonal is often chosen instead: Tegin töö ära. or Töö tehti ära.
Examples (6)
- Töö sai tehtud.
The work got done.
Word by Word: work got done
- Mul sai see raamat lõpuks loetud.
I finally got that book read.
Word by Word: I-at got this book finally read
Mul names who did it; raamat is the subject.
- Kõik nõud said pestud.
All the dishes got washed.
A plural subject takes said.
- Kas tuba sai koristatud?
Did the room get cleaned?
- Ära muretse, see saab homme tehtud.
Don't worry, it will get done tomorrow.
The present saab refers to the future here.
- Eile sai palju tööd tehtud.
A lot of work got done yesterday.
Palju tööd is an amount, so saama stays in the singular.
Common Mistakes
Using the -nud form instead of the -tud form.
Töö sai teinud.Töö sai tehtud.The work is what got done, so you need the passive -tud form, tehtud.
Making saama agree with the doer instead of the thing.
Mul sain see raamat loetud.Mul sai see raamat loetud.Mul is not the subject. The subject is see raamat, so the verb is sai.
How It Connects
Learn This First
saama with -tud stresses that something got done.
Related Patterns
- Impersonal Perfect
Olema with -tud describes the state; saama with -tud describes reaching it.
Level 3 - jäämaStaying and Becoming (Jääma)
Jääma with -mata is the opposite: something stayed undone.
Level 3 - Finishing Words (ära, läbi, valmis)
Another way to show that an action was completed.
Level 3 - Written vs Spoken Estonian
Sai tehtud is typical of everyday speech.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice saama + -tud in Bubblegum
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