Reporting Commands

Level 4

Ema ütles, et ma tuleksin koju means Mom told me to come home. The command becomes an et-clause with the conditional.

How It Works

Direct command: Ema ütles mulle: „Tule koju!” Reported, the command goes into an et-clause. Choose one of two verb forms:

  • Conditional, the softer choice: Ema ütles, et ma tuleksin koju.
  • Jussive (-gu/-ku), which sounds firmer: Ema ütles, et ma tulgu kohe koju.

The conditional changes with the person: tuleksin, tuleksid, tuleksime. The jussive has no personal ending: ma tulgu, sa tulgu, me tulgu.

Negative commands: use ei with the -ks form, or ärgu with the jussive: Isa palus, et ma ei muretseks. Isa ütles, et ma ärgu muretsegu.

Some verbs of commanding take an infinitive instead of a clause: Ta käskis Jüril koju minna.

In speech you will also hear the direct command kept inside et, as in et tehke. It is common, but careful style prefers et tehku.

Examples (6)

  1. Ema ütles, et ma tuleksin koju.

    Mom told me to come home.

    Word by Word: mom said that I would-come home

  2. Ema ütles, et ma tulgu kohe koju.

    Mom said I was to come home right away.

    The jussive tulgu sounds firmer and has no personal ending.

  3. Jüri ütles, et me lepiksime omavahel kokku.

    Jüri told us to settle it between ourselves.

  4. Isa ütles, et ma ärgu muretsegu.

    Dad told me not to worry.

    The negative jussive is ärgu plus the -gu form.

  5. Ütle Marile, et ta helistaks mulle.

    Tell Mari to call me.

  6. Ta käskis Jüril koju minna.

    She told Jüri to go home.

    Käskima can take a person in -l and a da-infinitive.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the indicative for a command.

    Ema ütles, et ma tulen koju.
    Ema ütles, et ma tuleksin koju.

    The indicative reports a statement: Mom said I am coming home. For a command, use the conditional or the jussive.

  • Adding a personal ending to the jussive.

    Ema ütles, et ma tulgun koju.
    Ema ütles, et ma tulgu koju.

    The jussive -gu/-ku form is the same for every person.

  • Using the -vat form for a command.

    Isa ütles, et me koristavat toa ära.
    Isa ütles, et me koristaksime toa ära.

    The -vat form passes on a claim: Dad said we would supposedly clean up the room. A command needs the conditional or the jussive.

How It Connects

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

Reporting CommandsLevel 4

Learn This First

Reported commands use et with the conditional or jussive.

Words in This Pattern

et