Pronouns in Other Cases
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)
- Ma armastan sind.
I love you.
Word by Word: I love you(PART)
- Anna mulle see raamat!
Give me that book!
Word by Word: give me-to that book
Mulle is the short allative of mina.
- Kas sa tuled minuga kinno?
Are you coming to the cinema with me?
Word by Word: Q you come me-with cinema-into
- 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.
- Ma helistan sulle homme.
I'll call you tomorrow.
Word by Word: I call you-to tomorrow
- 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
Learn This First
Pronouns take the common cases.
Related Patterns
- minu / sinu / temaPossessive Pronouns
The genitive forms minu, sinu and tema show the owner.
Level 1 - Partitive Object
Explains why objects appear as mind, sind and teda.
Level 2 - To Whom (Allative)
Mulle, sulle and talle mark the person something goes to.
Level 2 - mul onHaving (Mul on)
The adessive forms mul, sul and tal express having.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.