-n / -d / -b / -me / -te / -vad

Personal Endings

Level 1

elama (to live): elan, elad, elab, elame, elate, elavad.

How It Works

  • ma elan · räägin — I live · I speak
  • sa elad · räägid — you live · you speak
  • ta elab · räägib — he or she lives · speaks
  • me elame · räägime — we live · we speak
  • te elate · räägite — you live · you speak
  • nad elavad · räägivad — they live · they speak

Which stem? For many verbs, remove -ma: elama → ela-, tulema → tule-. For others the present stem is weaker: rääkima → räägi-, lugema → loe-. See Present Stem Changes. Two common verbs are irregular: olema has on for both he or she and they (The Verb olema (to Be)), and minema uses lähe-: lähen, lähed, läheb, läheme, lähete, lähevad.

No ending after ei. The negative drops the ending: ma ei ela, nad ei ela. See Negation with ei. For most verbs the bare stem is also the singular command: Ela! Räägi! minema is different: ei lähe, but Mine! (Singular Command).

Dropping the pronoun. Elan Tartus. Kus elad? With ta and nad the pronoun usually stays: Ta elab Tartus. See Leaving Out the Pronoun.

Examples (6)

  1. Ma elan Tartus.

    I live in Tartu.

  2. Kus sa elad?

    Where do you live?

  3. Mu vend elab Soomes.

    My brother lives in Finland.

    A noun subject takes the same -b as ta.

  4. Me räägime eesti keelt.

    We speak Estonian.

    The ending goes on the changed stem räägi-.

  5. Kas te tulete ka?

    Are you coming too?

  6. Lapsed mängivad õues.

    The children are playing outside.

    A plural subject takes -vad.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the he or she form for they.

    Nad elab Tartus.
    Nad elavad Tartus.

    nad and plural nouns take -vad in the present.

  • Keeping the ending after ei.

    Ma ei elan siin.
    Ma ei ela siin.

    After ei the verb has no personal ending.

  • Mixing up the we and they endings.

    Me elavad Tallinnas.
    Me elame Tallinnas.

    me takes -me, and nad takes -vad.

How It Connects

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

-n / -d / -b / -me / -te / -vadLevel 1Personal Endings

Learn This First

Endings mark the person and attach to the verb stem.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern