Impersonal Present (-takse/-dakse)
Impersonal Present
Eestis räägitakse eesti keelt means "Estonian is spoken in Estonia" or "People speak Estonian in Estonia". Nobody is named as the speaker.
How It Works
The impersonal (umbisikuline tegumood) shows that someone does the action, but the sentence does not say who. It is very common in signs, instructions, news and general statements.
The present impersonal has three endings:
- -takse (most verbs): rääkima → räägitakse, lugema → loetakse, elama → elatakse, kirjutama → kirjutatakse.
- -dakse: laulma → lauldakse, saama → saadakse, ütlema → öeldakse.
- -akse (a few very common verbs): tegema → tehakse, sööma → süüakse, jooma → juuakse, minema → minnakse, tulema → tullakse, olema → ollakse.
Which ending a verb takes goes with the verb, so learn it as one of its key forms. A good clue is the -tud/-dud form: loetud goes with loetakse, lauldud with lauldakse. The -akse verbs do not follow this clue (tuldud, but tullakse), so learn them one by one.
The impersonal has no subject and no personal ending. An object keeps its usual rules: a partitive object stays partitive (räägitakse eesti keelt), and a whole object is in the nominative (Maja ehitatakse valmis).
The negative uses ei and a form in -ta or -da: ei räägita, ei laulda. For most verbs this is the present form without -kse. The -akse verbs build it differently: ei tehta, ei sööda, ei minda. See the negative impersonal.
Examples (6)
- Eestis räägitakse eesti keelt.
Estonian is spoken in Estonia.
Word by Word: Estonia-in is-spoken Estonian language
The object stays in the partitive: eesti keelt.
- Kuidas seda eesti keeles öeldakse?
How do you say this in Estonian?
ütlema → öeldakse.
- Seda sõna kirjutatakse suure tähega.
This word is written with a capital letter.
kirjutama → kirjutatakse.
- Poes müüakse ka värsket leiba.
They also sell fresh bread in the shop.
müüma takes -akse: müüakse.
- Jaaniõhtul tehakse lõkkeid ja lauldakse.
On Midsummer Eve people make bonfires and sing.
tegema → tehakse, laulma → lauldakse.
- Uus kool ehitatakse järgmisel aastal valmis.
The new school will be finished next year.
A whole object is in the nominative in the impersonal: kool.
Common Mistakes
Adding a subject or personal ending.
Nad räägitakse eesti keelt.Räägitakse eesti keelt.The impersonal never has a subject. To name the speakers, use the ordinary form: Nad räägivad eesti keelt.
Using the nominative with a partitive verb.
Eestis räägitakse eesti keel.Eestis räägitakse eesti keelt.rääkima always takes a partitive object, and the impersonal does not change that.
Keeping -takse after ei.
Siin ei suitsetatakse.Siin ei suitsetata.The negative impersonal has no -kse: ei suitsetata.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The impersonal is formed on the da-infinitive stem.
Related Patterns
- Negative Impersonal
How to say that something is not done.
Level 3 - Impersonal Past (-ti/-di)Impersonal Past
The past tense of the impersonal: räägiti.
Level 3 - -tud Form
The -tud/-dud form tells you which impersonal ending a verb takes.
Level 3 - Talking About People in General
The impersonal is a common way to talk about people in general.
Level 4 - Whole Object in the Nominative
A whole object in an impersonal sentence is in the nominative.
Level 3 - Partitive Object
Partitive objects stay partitive in the impersonal.
Level 2
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Impersonal Present (-takse/-dakse) in Bubblegum
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