Reported Past
Ta olevat juba lahkunud means he has reportedly already left. Use olevat plus the -nud form for past events you only heard about.
How It Works
To pass on news about the past that you heard from someone else, use olevat plus the -nud form of the main verb.
- Ta on lahkunud. (He has left.) becomes Ta olevat lahkunud. (He has reportedly left.)
- Nad kohtusid Tartus. (They met in Tartu.) becomes Nad olevat Tartus kohtunud. (They are said to have met in Tartu.)
This one form covers every past tense: it can report something that happened, has happened or had happened.
Same for everyone. olevat has no personal endings: ma olevat, te olevat, nad olevat. The -nud form does not change either.
Negative. Use ei olevat or the shorter polevat: Ta ei olevat seda teadnud. Ta polevat kunagi Eestis käinud.
Impersonal. When the doer is unknown, use the -tud form: Maja olevat ehitatud sada aastat tagasi. (The house is said to have been built a hundred years ago.)
In old or literary texts you may also meet a one-word form in -nuvat, such as lahkunuvat. Everyday Estonian uses olevat plus -nud.
Examples (6)
- Ta olevat juba lahkunud.
He has reportedly already left.
Word by Word: he is-reportedly already left
olevat + lahkunud.
- Nad olevat Tartus kohtunud.
They are said to have met in Tartu.
nad takes the same olevat.
- Ta ei olevat seda teadnud.
He supposedly didn't know that.
Negative: ei olevat + teadnud; the object is partitive.
- Ta polevat kunagi Eestis käinud.
Apparently she has never been to Estonia.
polevat is the short form of ei olevat.
- Varas olevat aknast sisse roninud.
The thief reportedly climbed in through the window.
A typical news-style report.
- Maja olevat ehitatud sada aastat tagasi.
The house is said to have been built a hundred years ago.
Impersonal: olevat + the -tud form.
Common Mistakes
Using a finite past verb after olevat.
Ta olevat lahkus.Ta olevat lahkunud.olevat is followed by the -nud form, just like on in the perfect.
Using the present quotative with a past time word.
Ta lahkuvat eile.Ta olevat eile lahkunud.lahkuvat reports the present or future. A past event needs olevat plus the -nud form.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The reported past is olevat plus -nud.
Related Patterns
- Perfect Tense
The same structure with on or olen instead of olevat.
Level 2 - Negative Perfect
Its negative works the same way: pole, polevat.
Level 2 - -nuks / -nuvatLiterary One-Word Past Forms
The literary one-word forms such as lahkunuvat.
Level 6 - Reporting What Someone Said
Other ways to report what someone said happened.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Reported Past in Bubblegum
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