Place Nouns (-la)

Level 5

Haigla means hospital: the place for the haige (sick). -la names a place by what happens there.

How It Works

The suffix -la makes a noun for a place, usually a building, named after what happens there or who it is for.

  • haige (sick) → haigla (hospital)
  • söök (meal) → söökla (canteen)
  • pesu (washing) → pesula (laundry)
  • parkima (to park) → parkla (car park)
  • tankima (to refuel) → tankla (petrol station)
  • võimlema (to do gymnastics) → võimla (gym hall)
  • suvi (summer) → suvila (summer cottage)
  • vang (prisoner) → vangla (prison)

Cases. These are buildings, so they take the inner cases: haiglas (in hospital), haiglasse (to hospital), haiglast (from hospital).

They are regular nouns: haigla, haigla, haiglat; plural haiglad, haiglaid.

A few -la words name an area rather than a building, such as tagala (the rear, behind the front line).

Examples (6)

  1. Vanaisa on praegu haiglas.

    Grandpa is in hospital right now.

    Haigla → inessive haiglas.

  2. Lõunat sööme koolisööklas.

    We eat lunch in the school canteen.

    Kool + söökla makes a compound.

  3. Viisin voodipesu pesulasse.

    I took the bedding to the laundry.

    Pesula → illative pesulasse.

  4. Jätsime auto parklasse.

    We left the car in the car park.

    Jätma takes the illative: parklasse.

  5. Peatume järgmises tanklas.

    Let's stop at the next petrol station.

    Tankla → inessive tanklas.

  6. Suvel elame suvilas.

    In summer we live in our summer cottage.

    Suvi → suvila.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the outer cases for a -la building.

    Vanaisa on haiglal.
    Vanaisa on haiglas.

    A -la place is a building you go into, so use the inner cases: haiglas, haiglasse, haiglast.

How It Connects

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

Place Nouns (-la)Level 5

Learn This First

-la is another noun suffix.

Words in This Pattern

-la