Present Participle (-v)
Elav keel means a living language. The -v form turns a verb into a describing word, like English -ing before a noun: jooksev vesi (running water).
How It Works
The present participle describes a person or thing that is doing something, much like English -ing before a noun: magav laps (a sleeping child), jooksev vesi (running water).
How to build it. Take the ma-infinitive and replace -ma with -v:
- ela-ma → elav (living)
- maga-ma → magav (sleeping)
- tule-ma → tulev (coming)
- tööta-ma → töötav (working)
When the stem has one syllable and ends in a consonant, add e before the v: laul-ma → laulev, jooks-ma → jooksev, tõus-ma → tõusev. These lose the e again before an ending: jooksva, jooksvat.
It declines like an adjective. A -v participle agrees with its noun: magav laps, magava lapse, magavat last; tuleval aastal (next year). This is different from the -nud form, which does not change before a noun.
Everyday adjectives. Some common adjectives are really old -v participles: huvitav (interesting, from huvitama), üllatav (surprising), piisav (enough, from piisama).
Not a tense. Estonian has no is-doing tense. To say someone is working right now, use the ordinary present: Ta töötab. The -v form only describes a noun.
A participle can also carry its own words in front of it: Tallinnas elav sõber (a friend who lives in Tallinn).
Examples (6)
- Ära ärata magavat last!
Don't wake the sleeping child!
Magav → magavat: the participle is in the partitive like its noun.
- Ladina keel ei ole enam elav keel.
Latin is no longer a living language.
- Tuleval aastal lähen ülikooli.
Next year I am going to university.
Tulev aasta means the coming year. Here it is in the adessive: tuleval aastal.
- Vanaema majas ei olnud jooksvat vett.
Grandma's house had no running water.
Jooksev → jooksvat. The partitive is used because the sentence is negative.
- Töötavad emad vajavad rohkem abi.
Working mothers need more help.
Töötav agrees in the plural: töötavad emad.
- See on väga huvitav raamat.
This is a very interesting book.
Huvitav comes from huvitama (to interest).
Common Mistakes
Using the -v form like an English -ing tense.
Ta on praegu töötav.Ta töötab praegu.Estonian uses the plain present for an action happening now. The -v form only describes a noun.
Forgetting to decline the participle.
Ära ärata magav last!Ära ärata magavat last!A -v participle agrees with its noun, so it takes the partitive too.
Using -v for the thing that is acted on.
Kas see seen on sööv?Kas see seen on söödav?Sööv describes something that eats. For something that can be eaten, use the -tav form: söödav.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The -v participle is an adjective built on the verb.
Related Patterns
- Participle of Possibility (-tav)
The -tav form describes the thing acted on: söödav seen, loetav käekiri.
Level 4 - -nud Form as an Adjective
The -nud form describes a state that came from a past change, and it does not decline before a noun.
Level 4 - Participle Phrases Instead of Clauses
A -v participle with its own words can replace a relative clause: Tallinnas elav sõber.
Level 4 - Doer Nouns (-ja)
Lugeja is a noun (a reader). Lugev only describes someone who is reading.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Present Participle (-v) in Bubblegum
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