käima

Going Regularly and Visiting (Käima)

Level 2

Ma käin koolis means I go to school, as a regular habit. Eile käisin poes means I went to the shop yesterday and came back.

How It Works

käima (käin, käis, käinud) first of all means to walk: Laps õpib käima. (The child is learning to walk.) A machine or clock that is running also käib: Kell ei käi. (The clock has stopped.) For going places, it has three main uses.

  • Going regularly: Ma käin koolis. (I go to school.) Isa käib tööl. (Dad goes to work.)
  • A trip there and back: Eile käisin poes. (I went to the shop yesterday.) The trip is over, and you are back.
  • Having been somewhere: Oled sa Eestis käinud? (Have you been to Estonia?)

Because käima is about being at the place, the place takes a "where" case: the inessive (koolis, poes, kinos) or, for places that use -l, the adessive (tööl, turul). For a person's place, use juures or pool: Käin arsti juures.

Compare it with minema: Ta läks poodi (She went to the shop, and may still be there) and Ta käis poes (She went to the shop and is back now).

With the -mas form, käima says you go and do an activity: Käin ujumas (I go swimming), Käisime söömas (We went out to eat). To visit someone, say külas käima: Käisime vanaema pool külas.

Examples (6)

  1. Ma käin koolis.

    I go to school.

    Word by Word: I go school-in

    A regular habit, with the inessive koolis.

  2. Eile käisin poes.

    Yesterday I went to the shop.

    A trip there and back, now finished.

  3. Oled sa Eestis käinud?

    Have you been to Estonia?

    The perfect of käima means "have been to".

  4. Käin kaks korda nädalas ujumas.

    I go swimming twice a week.

    käima + the -mas form names the activity.

  5. Isa käib autoga tööl.

    Dad drives to work.

    töö uses the adessive: tööl.

  6. Käisime nädalavahetusel vanaema pool külas.

    We visited Grandma at the weekend.

    külas käima = visit someone.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the "where to" case with käima.

    Ma käin kooli.
    Ma käin koolis.

    käima takes the case for where you are, not where you are heading. Use koolis, poes, tööl.

  • Mixing minema with the "where" case.

    Eile läksin poes.
    Eile käisin poes.

    minema needs a "where to" case (poodi). For a finished trip there and back, käima with poes is the natural choice.

  • Using käima for a one-way move to a new place.

    Ta käis Soomes ja jäi sinna elama.
    Ta läks Soome ja jäi sinna elama.

    käis Soomes means she went and came back, which does not fit staying there. When someone goes and stays, use minema.

How It Connects

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

käimaLevel 2Going Regularly and Visiting (Käima)

Learn This First

käima uses the inessive and is common in the past.

Words in This Pattern

käima