Negation with ei
Ma tean → Ma ei tea. Nad räägivad → Nad ei räägi.
How It Works
Present. There is one negative form for all persons: ma ei tea, sa ei tea, ta ei tea, me ei tea, te ei tea, nad ei tea. The verb keeps its present stem, including any stem change: ma räägin → ma ei räägi, ma loen → ma ei loe. For olema use ei ole or pole.
Past. In the simple past, ei goes with the -nud form: ma ei teadnud (I didn't know). See Negative Past.
Objects become partitive. Ma ostan auto (I'll buy a car) becomes Ma ei osta autot. See Partitive After Negation.
What ei does not do. Commands use ära: Ära mine! See Negative Commands. To negate one word rather than the verb, use mitte: mitte täna (not today). See Negating a Word (mitte). On its own, Ei also means no; see Saying Yes and No.
In speech. ma ei often blends into mai, as in mai tea (dunno). See Everyday Spoken Shortcuts.
Examples (6)
- Ma ei tea.
I don't know.
- Ta ei räägi vene keelt.
He doesn't speak Russian. / She doesn't speak Russian.
räägib loses its ending: ei räägi.
- Me ei tule täna.
We're not coming today.
- Miks sa ei söö?
Why aren't you eating?
- Ma ei joo kohvi.
I don't drink coffee.
The object is in the partitive, as usual after a negative.
- Ma ei teadnud seda.
I didn't know that.
In the past, ei goes with the -nud form.
Common Mistakes
Keeping the personal ending after ei.
Ma ei räägin eesti keelt.Ma ei räägi eesti keelt.After ei the verb has no ending. It is the same for every person: ma ei räägi, nad ei räägi.
Using the dictionary form after ei.
Ma ei rääkima vene keelt.Ma ei räägi vene keelt.ei is followed by the present stem, not the ma-infinitive.
Keeping a nominative object in a negative sentence.
Ma ei joo kohv.Ma ei joo kohvi.After a negative verb the object goes into the partitive.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Negation drops the personal ending, so the endings come first.
Related Patterns
- ei ole / poleNegative of Olema
The negative of olema.
Level 1 - Negative Past
The past negative uses ei with the -nud form.
Level 2 - Partitive After Negation
Objects of negative verbs are partitive.
Level 1 - ära / ärgeNegative Commands
Negative commands use ära instead of ei.
Level 2 - mitteNegating a Word (Mitte)
mitte negates a single word or phrase.
Level 3 - Everyday Spoken Shortcuts
How ma ei sounds in casual speech.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Negation with ei in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Estonian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
