koos + Comitative

Together with (Koos)

Level 2

Ma elan koos vanematega means I live together with my parents. The noun keeps its -ga ending, and koos adds the idea of "together".

How It Works

koos means together. With a noun or pronoun in the comitative (-ga), it means together with.

  • Before the noun: koos vanematega (together with my parents), koos minuga (together with me).
  • After the noun: sõbraga koos (together with a friend). Both orders are correct.
  • Alone, with no noun: Lähme koos! (Let's go together!) Nad elavad koos. (They live together.)

The noun still needs its -ga ending. koos never replaces it: koos sõbraga, not koos sõber.

With an adjective or another word in front of the noun, only the last word takes -ga. An adjective before it stays in the genitive: koos oma parima sõbraga (together with my best friend).

koos is about company, people or things that belong together. For a tool you use, the plain -ga is enough: Ta sööb kahvliga (She eats with a fork). koos can also mean including: Kaotasin rahakoti koos dokumentidega (I lost my wallet, documents and all).

In many sentences koos is optional. Ma elan vanematega and Ma elan koos vanematega mean the same thing; koos just stresses the togetherness.

Examples (6)

  1. Ma elan koos vanematega.

    I live together with my parents.

    Word by Word: I live together parents-with

    Vanematega is the comitative plural of vanemad.

  2. Lähme koos kinno!

    Let's go to the cinema together!

    Here koos stands alone as an adverb.

  3. Tulin sõbraga koos.

    I came together with a friend.

    koos can also come after the -ga noun.

  4. Tule koos minuga poodi.

    Come to the shop with me.

    Pronouns take -ga too: minuga.

  5. Kaotasin rahakoti koos dokumentidega.

    I lost my wallet together with my documents.

    Here koos means "including" or "along with".

  6. Me töötame koos juba viis aastat.

    We have been working together for five years now.

    Estonian uses the present tense with juba for something that is still going on.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving the -ga ending off the noun after koos.

    Ma lähen koos sõber kinno.
    Ma lähen koos sõbraga kinno.

    koos does not replace the case ending. The noun must still be in the comitative: sõbraga.

  • Using koos for a tool or instrument.

    Ta sööb koos kahvliga.
    Ta sööb kahvliga.

    koos means company or belonging together. With koos, the sentence sounds as if the fork is her dining partner. For a tool, use plain -ga.

  • Adding -ga to every word in the phrase.

    Ma tulin koos parimaga sõbraga.
    Ma tulin koos parima sõbraga.

    Only the last word of the phrase takes -ga. The adjective before it stays in the genitive: parima sõbraga.

How It Connects

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koos + ComitativeLevel 2Together with (Koos)

Learn This First

koos strengthens the comitative.

Words in This Pattern

kooskooskoos-ga