palun / aitäh
Please and Thank You
Palun means please. It is also what you say when you hand something over or answer a thank-you. Aitäh and tänan both mean thank you.
How It Works
Palun is really the verb form 'I ask' (from paluma), but in everyday speech it is a polite word for three situations:
- asking for something: Üks kohv, palun. (One coffee, please.)
- handing something over: Palun! (Here you are.)
- answering a thank-you: Aitäh! – Palun! (Thank you! – You are welcome.)
With a request, palun can come first or later: Palun istuge. or Istuge, palun. Palun väga is a warmer version. In quick messages you may see the colloquial short form pln.
To say thank you, use aitäh in most situations and tänan when you want to sound a little more formal. Suur aitäh and tänan väga both mean thank you very much. Among friends you will also hear tänud. Besides palun, a common answer to thanks is pole tänu väärt (do not mention it).
Say what you are thankful for with eest after a genitive: Aitäh abi eest! (Thanks for the help!). For something the other person did, you can also use the -mast form: Aitäh kutsumast! (Thanks for inviting me!).
Aitäh is stressed on its second syllable (ai-täh), one of the few Estonian words that break the first-syllable rule.
Examples (6)
- Üks kohv, palun.
One coffee, please.
Palun softens a request, just like please.
- Aitäh! – Palun!
Thank you! – You are welcome!
Palun is also the usual answer to a thank-you.
- Palun, siin on teie võti.
Here you are, this is your key.
Palun said while handing something over.
- Suur aitäh abi eest!
Thank you very much for the help!
Eest follows the genitive abi to say what you are thankful for.
- Tänan, see oli väga maitsev.
Thank you, that was very tasty.
Tänan sounds a little more formal than aitäh.
- Öelge palun, mis kell on.
Please tell me what time it is.
Palun can sit right after the command.
Common Mistakes
Putting suur in front of tänan.
Suur tänan!Suur aitäh!Tänan is a verb form meaning 'I thank', so it cannot take the adjective suur. Say suur aitäh, suur tänu or tänan väga.
Using jaoks for 'thanks for'.
Aitäh abi jaoks!Aitäh abi eest!Jaoks means 'for the purpose of'. The reason you thank someone goes with eest.
Answering a thank-you with another thank-you when you mean 'you are welcome'.
– Aitäh! – Aitäh!– Aitäh! – Palun!Repeating aitäh thanks the other person back, which is normal when both people have something to thank for, as at a shop counter. To say you are welcome, answer with palun or pole tänu väärt.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- tere / head aegaGreetings
Palun and aitäh belong with the greetings as the first polite words to learn.
Level 1 - ole heaAsking Nicely (Ole Hea)
Ole hea is another friendly way to ask for something.
Level 3 - Plural and Polite Command (-ge/-ke)Plural and Polite Command
Palun often goes with a polite command such as Istuge, palun.
Level 1 - Polite Requests
The conditional makes requests even softer than palun alone.
Level 3 - sina / teieFamiliar Sina and Polite Teie
Polite teie forms and palun often appear together.
Level 1 - -mast FormComing from Doing (-mast)
Aitäh kutsumast uses the -mast form to thank someone for an action.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice palun / aitäh in Bubblegum
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