tunduma

Seeming (Tunduma)

Level 3

See tundub huvitav means That seems interesting. Mulle tundub, et ta on väsinud means It seems to me that she is tired.

How It Works

tunduma (to seem) is a regular verb: tundub, tunduvad; past tundus; negative ei tundu; conditional tunduks. It is used in three main ways.

  • tunduma + adjective: See tundub huvitav. Sa tundud täna rõõmus. The adjective is usually in the nominative. The essive (-na) is also possible, especially in writing: Ma ei taha tunduda pealetükkivana (I do not want to seem pushy).
  • The person in the allative: Mulle tundub see raamat igav. Just like meeldima, the person who has the impression is in the allative (mulle, sulle, talle, meile), not the nominative.
  • Tundub, et ... and Mulle tundub, et ...: these introduce a whole clause. Tundub, et hakkab sadama means It looks like it is going to rain. Mulle tundub, et ... is a soft way to give your opinion.

With another verb, tunduma can take the -vat form: Ta tundub olevat hea inimene (He seems to be a good person).

Do not mix up tunduma with tundma. Tundma means to feel or to know a person. Ma tunnen end väsinuna means I feel tired, while Ma tundun väsinud means I look tired to other people.

Examples (6)

  1. See tundub huvitav.

    That seems interesting.

  2. Mulle tundub, et ta on väsinud.

    It seems to me that she is tired.

    Word by Word: to-me seems that she is tired

    The person who has the impression is in the allative.

  3. Sa tundud täna väga rõõmus.

    You seem very happy today.

  4. Tundub, et hakkab sadama.

    It looks like it is going to rain.

    With no person, Tundub, et ... means It seems that ...

  5. Alguses tundus ülesanne raske.

    At first the task seemed hard.

    tundus is the past tense; it comes second after Alguses.

  6. Ta tundub olevat hea inimene.

    He seems to be a good person.

    The -vat form olevat follows tunduma.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting the person in the genitive or nominative.

    Minu tundub, et ta on väsinud.
    Mulle tundub, et ta on väsinud.

    The person who has the impression is in the allative: mulle, sulle, talle.

  • Using tunduma to say how you feel.

    Ma tundun väsinud.
    Ma tunnen end väsinuna.

    Ma tundun väsinud means that you look tired to others. To say that you feel tired, use tundma end (or simply Ma olen väsinud).

How It Connects

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tundumaLevel 3Seeming (Tunduma)

Learn This First

tunduma takes the allative and often an et-clause.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

tundumaet