Polite Requests

Level 3

Ma tahaksin tassi kohvi means I would like a cup of coffee. The -ksi- form makes a request sound polite.

How It Works

The conditional does not only mean would. It is also the main way to be polite in Estonian. Compare these requests, from direct to soft:

  • Aita mind, palun. (Help me, please.)
  • Kas sa saad mind aidata? (Can you help me?)
  • Kas sa saaksid mind aidata? (Could you help me?)
  • Kas sa ei saaks mind aidata? (Couldn't you help me?)

Common polite patterns:

  • Ma tahaksin / Ma sooviksin ... (I would like ...) for ordering and asking for things.
  • Kas te saaksite ...? / Kas te oskaksite ...? (Could you ...? Would you know ...?) for requests to strangers.
  • Kas ma võiksin ...? (Could I ...? May I ...?) for asking permission.
  • Mul oleks teile üks küsimus. (I have a question for you.) The conditional softens even a statement.

With a stranger, use teie and the ending -ksite: Kas te saaksite ...? With a friend, use sina and -ksid: Kas sa saaksid ...?

In everyday speech the short form without the ending is very common: Ma tahaks kohvi. Keep the full form in writing if you want to sound careful.

Examples (6)

  1. Ma tahaksin tassi kohvi.

    I would like a cup of coffee.

    Tahtma takes a partitive object: tassi kohvi.

  2. Kas te saaksite mind aidata?

    Could you help me?

    Teie with -ksite; aitama takes the partitive mind.

  3. Kas sa ulataksid mulle soola?

    Would you pass me the salt?

    Sina with -ksid.

  4. Kas te oskaksite öelda, kus on bussijaam?

    Could you tell me where the bus station is?

    Oskama in the conditional is a polite way to ask for information.

  5. Kas ma võiksin akna lahti teha?

    Could I open the window?

    Kas ma võiksin asks for permission politely.

  6. Mul oleks teile üks küsimus.

    I have a question for you.

    Word by Word: at-me would-be to-you one question

    Oleks makes a plain statement sound gentler.

Common Mistakes

  • Mixing teie with the singular ending -ksid.

    Kas te saaksid mind aidata?
    Kas te saaksite mind aidata?

    The ending must match the pronoun. Teie takes -ksite, and sina takes -ksid.

  • Putting the person you help in the allative.

    Kas te saaksite mulle aidata?
    Kas te saaksite mind aidata?

    Aitama takes a partitive object: aita mind, aidake mind. It does not use mulle.

  • Using the nominative after tahtma.

    Ma tahaksin kohv.
    Ma tahaksin kohvi.

    Tahtma takes a partitive object, so kohv becomes kohvi.

How It Connects

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

Polite RequestsLevel 3

Learn This First

Polite requests use the conditional of modal verbs.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.