Pronouns in Other Cases

Level 2

Ma armastan sind. (I love you.) Anna mulle! (Give it to me!) Tule minuga! (Come with me!)

How It Works

The forms you need most

  • Partitive (object): mind, sind, teda, meid, teid, neid. Ma ei näe sind. (I don't see you.)
  • Genitive (owner): minu ~ mu, sinu ~ su, tema ~ ta, meie ~ me, teie ~ te, nende. See possessive pronouns.
  • Allative (to someone): minule ~ mulle, sinule ~ sulle, temale ~ talle, meile, teile, neile. Helista mulle! (Call me!)
  • Adessive (at someone, having): minul ~ mul, sinul ~ sul, temal ~ tal, meil, teil, neil. See mul on.
  • Ablative (from someone): minult ~ mult, sinult ~ sult, temalt ~ talt, meilt, teilt, neilt. Küsi temalt. (Ask him.)
  • Elative (about someone): minust ~ must, sinust ~ sust, temast ~ tast, meist, teist, neist (also nendest). Nad räägivad meist. (They are talking about us.)
  • Comitative (with someone): minuga, sinuga, temaga, meiega, teiega, nendega.

Things to notice

  • nemad uses two stems: nende, nendega but neid, neile, neil.
  • The full forms (minule, temale) are used for emphasis or contrast: Anna see minule, mitte talle! (Give it to me, not to him!)
  • For I, you and we, the object is mind, sind, meid, teid even when an action is finished: Ta viis mind koju. (He took me home.) This differs from nouns, which often take the genitive: Ta viis lapse koju.
  • In casual speech you may also hear short comitatives like muga and suga; write minuga and sinuga.

Examples (6)

  1. Ma armastan sind.

    I love you.

    Word by Word: I love you(PART)

  2. Anna mulle see raamat!

    Give me that book!

    Word by Word: give me-to that book

    Mulle is the short allative of mina.

  3. Kas sa tuled minuga kinno?

    Are you coming to the cinema with me?

    Word by Word: Q you come me-with cinema-into

  4. Ma ei tunne teda.

    I don't know him.

    Word by Word: I not know him(PART)

    Teda can mean him or her; Estonian has no gender in pronouns.

  5. Ma helistan sulle homme.

    I'll call you tomorrow.

    Word by Word: I call you-to tomorrow

  6. Nad räägivad meist.

    They are talking about us.

    Word by Word: they talk us-about

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative pronoun as the object.

    Ma armastan sina.
    Ma armastan sind.

    As an object, sina is never in its basic form. Use sind.

  • Using the basic form for the person you call or give to.

    Helista mina!
    Helista mulle!

    The person something goes to takes the allative: mulle, sulle, talle.

  • Building the comitative of nemad on the wrong stem.

    Ma lähen neiga kinno.
    Ma lähen nendega kinno.

    The comitative of nemad is built on the genitive nende: nendega.

How It Connects

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Pronouns in Other CasesLevel 2

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Pronouns take the common cases.

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Words in This Pattern

minameienemadma armastan sind