seega / seepärast / seetõttu
Therefore Words
Sadas vihma, seepärast jäime koju means it was raining, so we stayed home. These words point back to a reason and start the result.
How It Works
These three words link a result to a reason that has already been said. The reason comes first:
- seepärast – that is why, so: Sadas vihma, seepärast jäime koju.
- seetõttu – because of that: Pood oli kinni, seetõttu ei saanud me leiba osta.
- seega – so, thus, which means: Rong väljub kell kuus, seega peame kiirustama.
seepärast and seetõttu mean the same thing. They are built from see plus pärast and tõttu. In speech, sellepärast is very common. seega is more about drawing a conclusion, and it is common in explanations and in writing: Seega pole meil valikut. (So we have no choice.)
Reason or result? sest and sellepärast et introduce the reason. seepärast on its own introduces the result. Compare:
- Jäime koju, sest sadas vihma. (We stayed home because it was raining.)
- Sadas vihma, seepärast jäime koju. (It was raining, so we stayed home.)
Word order and commas. After these words the verb usually comes next, as with any fronted word: seepärast jäime koju. With a short pronoun, speech also allows sellepärast ma ei helistanud. Put a comma before the word when it joins two clauses. When it starts a new sentence, no comma follows it: Seetõttu juhtus palju õnnetusi. The word can also follow ja: Olin haige ja seepärast ei tulnud ma tööle.
Examples (6)
- Sadas vihma, seepärast jäime koju.
It was raining, so we stayed home.
Word by Word: rained rain-PART, that-because stayed-1PL home
- Pood oli kinni, seetõttu ei saanud me leiba osta.
The shop was closed, so we could not buy bread.
- Rong väljub kell kuus, seega peame kiirustama.
The train leaves at six, so we have to hurry.
seega draws a conclusion from the first fact.
- Olin haige ja seepärast ei tulnud ma tööle.
I was ill, and that is why I did not come to work.
- Tee oli libe. Seetõttu juhtus palju õnnetusi.
The road was slippery. Because of that, there were many accidents.
A new sentence can start with seetõttu, with no comma after it.
- Mul oli kiire, sellepärast ma ei helistanud.
I was in a hurry, that is why I did not call.
sellepärast means the same as seepärast. It is very common in speech, where the pronoun can come before the verb.
Common Mistakes
Putting seepärast before the reason instead of the result.
Jäime koju, seepärast sadas vihma.Jäime koju, sest sadas vihma.The wrong sentence says it rained because we stayed home. seepärast introduces a result; to give a reason, use sest.
Adding et, which turns the result into a reason.
Sadas vihma, sellepärast et jäime koju.Sadas vihma, sellepärast jäime koju.sellepärast et means because, so the wrong sentence says it rained because we stayed home. Without et, sellepärast means that is why.
How It Connects
Learn This First
These words give a result, the other side of sest.
Related Patterns
- kunaSince (Kuna)
kuna also gives a reason, and its clause can come first.
Level 3 - nii et / nii ... etSo and So That (Nii Et)
nii et is another way to introduce a result.
Level 3 - mistõttuWhich Is Why (Mistõttu)
mistõttu links a result inside one sentence, like which is why.
Level 4 - jaoks / tõttu / pärastFor and Because of
seepärast and seetõttu are built from pärast and tõttu.
Level 3 - Verb in Second Place
The verb usually comes straight after these words.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice seega / seepärast / seetõttu in Bubblegum
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