Headline Grammar

Level 5

A headline is a sentence with the extras taken out. Uus rekord Tartu maratonil means "a new record at the Tartu Marathon", and it has no verb at all.

How It Works

Headlines follow normal Estonian grammar, but they drop every word the reader can fill in. Look for these patterns.

  • No verb. A noun phrase names the news: Uus rekord Tartu maratonil (A new record at the Tartu Marathon). The full sentence would be Tartu maratonil püstitati uus rekord. Olema is the verb left out most often.
  • Name and colon. A colon after a person or group means "says": Peaminister: makse järgmisel aastal ei tõsteta (Prime Minister: taxes will not be raised next year).
  • The impersonal. -takse/-dakse and -ti/-di report what is done without saying who does it: Tallinnas avatakse uus sild (A new bridge is opening in Tallinn), Meremuuseumis avati uus näitus (A new exhibition opened at the Maritime Museum).
  • Tense. The simple past reports something that has already happened: Kohus mõistis ärimehe õigeks (Court acquits businessman). The present reports what is happening now, what has just been decided, or what is coming soon: Saksamaa langetab kütuseaktsiisi (Germany is cutting its fuel tax). English headlines often use the present for past events, but Estonian headlines normally use the past for them.
  • Place or time first. Many headlines start with where or when, and the verb comes right after: Laupäeval sajab vihma (Rain on Saturday).

A headline has no full stop at the end, even when it is a whole sentence. To understand a short headline, rebuild the full sentence in your head and add the missing verb.

Examples (6)

  1. Uus rekord Tartu maratonil

    New record at the Tartu Marathon

    Word by Word: new record Tartu marathon-at

    There is no verb. The full sentence is Tartu maratonil püstitati uus rekord.

  2. Tallinnas avatakse uus sild

    A new bridge is opening in Tallinn

    Word by Word: Tallinn-in is.opened new bridge

    Present impersonal: the opening is happening now or soon, and the headline does not say who opens it.

  3. Kohus mõistis ärimehe õigeks

    Court acquits businessman

    Word by Word: court judged businessman right(TRANSL)

    A finished event is in the simple past, even though the English headline uses the present.

  4. Peaminister: makse järgmisel aastal ei tõsteta

    Prime Minister: taxes will not be raised next year

    The colon means "the Prime Minister says". The quote itself uses the negative impersonal.

  5. Laupäeval sajab vihma

    Rain on Saturday

    Word by Word: Saturday-on rains rain

    The time comes first and the present tense points to the future.

  6. Saksamaa langetab kütuseaktsiisi

    Germany is cutting its fuel tax

    The present reports a decision whose effect is still to come.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the present tense for an event that is already over.

    Tallinnas avatakse eile uus sild
    Tallinnas avati eile uus sild

    Intended meaning: the bridge opened yesterday. Avatakse is present and means it is opening now or soon. For a finished event, use the past impersonal avati.

  • Ending a headline with a full stop.

    Uus rekord Tartu maratonil.
    Uus rekord Tartu maratonil

    Estonian headlines never end with a full stop, even when they are complete sentences.

How It Connects

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

Headline GrammarLevel 5

Learn This First

Headlines often use the impersonal.