jätma + -mata
Leaving Undone (Jätma + -mata)
Jätsin ukse lukustamata means I left the door unlocked. Jätma plus -mata names a task that someone did not do.
How It Works
Use jätma in any tense with the -mata form of the second verb: Jätsin kirja saatmata. (I did not send the letter.) The second verb never changes; only jätma shows the person and tense.
- jätan ... tegemata (I leave ... undone)
- jätsin ... tegemata (I left ... undone)
- Ära jäta ... tegemata! (Don't leave ... undone!)
The object follows jätma. The -mata form does not make the sentence negative. When jätma is positive and the action is complete, the object is whole: Jätsin ukse lukustamata (genitive ukse). When jätma itself is negated, the object is in the partitive: Ma ei jäta seda võimalust kasutamata. (I won't let this chance go unused.)
The negative command Ära jäta ... -mata! is a friendly way to say do not forget to or be sure to: Ära jäta hommikusööki söömata!
Compare jääma with -mata. Here the thing is the subject and no one is named: Töö jäi tegemata. (The work did not get done.)
Examples (6)
- Jätsin kirja saatmata.
I did not send the letter.
Word by Word: I-left letter sending-without
The person chose not to send it, or forgot.
- Ära jäta seda tegemata!
Don't leave that undone!
Ära jäta is a negative command, so the object seda is partitive.
- Ta jättis mu sõnumile vastamata.
She did not reply to my message.
Vastama takes -le, and that ending stays on sõnumile.
- Jätsin ukse lukustamata.
I left the door unlocked.
Ukse is a whole object in the genitive, because jätsin is positive.
- Ära jäta hommikusööki söömata!
Don't skip breakfast!
A kind reminder: do not leave breakfast uneaten.
- Ma ei jäta seda võimalust kasutamata.
I won't let this chance go unused.
Jätma is negated here, so the object is in the partitive.
Common Mistakes
Putting the object in the partitive because the -mata form sounds negative.
Jätsin ust lukustamata.Jätsin ukse lukustamata.The -mata form does not negate the sentence. Jätsin is positive, so a single whole object goes in the genitive.
Using the da-infinitive to say a task was left undone.
Jätsin kirja saata.Jätsin kirja saatmata.To say you left something undone, jätma needs the -mata form. Jätma with the da-infinitive means something else: you leave a task to another person, as in Jätan selle sinu otsustada.
How It Connects
Learn This First
jätma pairs with the -mata form.
Related Patterns
- jäämaStaying and Becoming (Jääma)
Jääma with -mata says something stayed undone without naming who is responsible.
Level 3 - Not Yet Done (-mata)
The same form placed before a noun: saatmata kiri (an unsent letter).
Level 4 - Whole Object in the Genitive
A positive jätma takes a whole object in the genitive.
Level 2 - Partitive After Negation
When jätma itself is negated, the object turns partitive.
Level 1 - ära / ärgeNegative Commands
Ära jäta ... -mata! is a common friendly reminder.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice jätma + -mata in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Estonian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
