Made Of (Elative)
Laud on puust means the table is made of wood. The elative -st, the out-of case, names the material.
How It Works
The elative (-st) means out of. It also names the material something is made out of:
- puust laud – a wooden table (puu, wood)
- kivist maja – a stone house
- klaasist kauss – a glass bowl
- hõbedast sõrmus – a silver ring
It can come before the noun or after olema: Laud on puust. To ask, say Mis materjalist see on? or Millest see on tehtud?
It does not agree. The material word is not an adjective, so it keeps its -st ending while the noun changes: kivist maja → kivist majas → kivist majadega.
Other ways to say it:
- A compound noun: kivimaja, klaaskauss, kuldsõrmus.
- Some materials have a -ne adjective: villane kampsun (a woolen sweater), puuvillane särk (a cotton shirt).
Not -ga. The comitative means with: kiviga sõrmus is a ring with a stone in it, while kivist sõrmus is a ring made of stone.
The same idea appears in an idiom: Ta on hoopis teisest puust. (He is a completely different kind of person.)
Examples (6)
- Laud on puust.
The table is made of wood.
Word by Word: table is wood-from
- Lastele meeldivad puust mänguasjad.
Children like wooden toys.
- Vanaema elab vanas kivist majas.
Grandma lives in an old stone house.
Vanas agrees with majas, but kivist stays the same.
- Ta kinkis mulle hõbedast sõrmuse.
He gave me a silver ring.
Hõbe (silver) → hõbedast.
- Klaasist kauss kukkus maha ja läks katki.
The glass bowl fell down and broke.
- Mis materjalist see kott on?
What is this bag made of?
Common Mistakes
Using -ga for the material.
Laud on tehtud puuga.Laud on tehtud puust.-ga means with, like a tool or a company. The material something is made of goes in the elative.
Making the material word agree with the noun.
Vanaema elab vanas kivis majas.Vanaema elab vanas kivist majas.The material keeps its -st ending while the noun changes case. Kivis means in a stone, so it cannot describe the house.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The elative also marks material.
Related Patterns
- Talking About (Elative)
Another special use of the elative: talking about something.
Level 2 - Comparing with the Elative
The elative can also mark what is being compared: minust pikem.
Level 3 - Building Compound Nouns
A compound often says the same thing: kivimaja = kivist maja.
Level 3 - Adjectives with -ne
Some materials have a -ne adjective: villane, puuvillane.
Level 4 - Comitative (-ga)
Kiviga means with a stone. Kivist means made of stone.
Level 1
Practice Made Of (Elative) in Bubblegum
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