How Sure You Are

Level 5

Ta tuleb kindlasti means he is definitely coming. Vaevalt ta tuleb means he is not likely to come.

How It Works

These adverbs work like a scale, from sure to doubtful:

  • kindlasti: definitely. Ma tulen kindlasti. (I will definitely come.)
  • kahtlemata: without a doubt. See on kahtlemata parim lahendus. (This is without a doubt the best solution.)
  • ilmselt: evidently, most likely. Ilmselt on sul õigus. (You are probably right.)
  • tõenäoliselt and arvatavasti: probably. Rong jääb tõenäoliselt hiljaks. (The train will probably be late.)
  • vist: I think, probably. It is softer and very common in speech: Ta on vist haige. (I think he is sick.)
  • võib-olla: maybe. Võib-olla läheme homme randa. (Maybe we will go to the beach tomorrow.)
  • vaevalt: hardly, it is unlikely. Vaevalt ta täna tuleb. (He is hardly going to come today.)

Word order. When kindlasti, ilmselt or tõenäoliselt starts the sentence, the verb usually comes right after it: Ilmselt on sul õigus. With vaevalt at the start, the verb often goes to the end, especially after a short subject like ta or me: Vaevalt me enam kohtume. (We will hardly meet again.) The usual order, with the verb second, is also correct: Vaevalt uskus keegi, et me võidame. (Hardly anyone believed that we would win.)

Vaevalt already carries the doubt. The verb stays positive. Vaevalt ta tuleb means he is unlikely to come. If you add ei, the meaning flips: Vaevalt ta ei tule means it is unlikely that he will stay away.

Vaevalt can also mean barely. With an amount or with a kui clause, it means only just: Koduni jäi vaevalt kilomeeter. (It was barely a kilometer to home.) Vaevalt olin koju jõudnud, kui hakkas sadama. (I had barely got home when it started to rain.)

Spelling võib-olla. The adverb maybe is written with a hyphen, võib-olla, or as one word, võibolla. Written as two words, võib olla is a verb phrase meaning may be: See võib olla tõsi. (That may be true.)

Examples (6)

  1. Ma tulen kindlasti.

    I'll definitely come.

  2. Ilmselt on sul õigus.

    You're probably right.

    Word by Word: evidently is at-you right

  3. Rong jääb tõenäoliselt hiljaks.

    The train will probably be late.

  4. Võib-olla läheme homme randa.

    Maybe we'll go to the beach tomorrow.

  5. Vaevalt ta täna tuleb.

    He's hardly going to come today.

    Word by Word: hardly he today comes

    Here the verb tuleb comes at the end, as it often does after vaevalt. There is no ei.

  6. Vaevalt olin koju jõudnud, kui hakkas sadama.

    I had barely got home when it started to rain.

    Here vaevalt means barely, and a kui clause says what happened next.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding ei after vaevalt.

    Vaevalt ta täna ei tule.
    Vaevalt ta täna tuleb.

    Intended meaning: He is unlikely to come today. Vaevalt already says it is doubtful. With ei, the sentence says it is unlikely that he will not come.

  • Writing the adverb maybe as two words.

    Võib olla ta tuleb homme.
    Võib-olla ta tuleb homme.

    Intended meaning: Maybe he will come tomorrow. The adverb is võib-olla or võibolla. Two separate words make the verb phrase may be.

How It Connects

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

How Sure You AreLevel 5

Learn This First

Certainty adverbs express how sure the speaker is, using familiar adverb forms.

Words in This Pattern

kindlastiilmselttõenäoliseltvõib-ollavaevalt