Verbal Noun (-mine)
ujumine means swimming as an activity. Mulle meeldib ujumine means I like swimming.
How It Works
Form: remove -ma from the ma-infinitive and add -mine: lugema → lugemine, ujuma → ujumine, tegema → tegemine, õppima → õppimine, suitsetama → suitsetamine.
Cases. It changes like inimene: lugemine (nominative), lugemise (genitive), lugemist (partitive), then lugemises, lugemisest, lugemisega and so on. The plural is lugemised.
Uses.
- As a subject: Suitsetamine on keelatud. Mulle meeldib ujumine.
- As an object: Ta lõpetas suitsetamise. Ma armastan lugemist.
- After enne and pärast: enne söömist (before eating), pärast söömist (after eating).
- With other case endings: Ta räägib reisimisest. (She talks about travelling.)
In compounds the first part uses the genitive stem -mis-: lugemisprillid (reading glasses), ujumisriided (swimwear). Some verbs also have a shorter action noun that is often preferred in compounds, such as kasutusluba (permit to use) rather than kasutamisluba.
-mine or an infinitive? Where the activity is the subject, both are often possible: Mulle meeldib ujumine ~ Mulle meeldib ujuda. Suitsetamine on keelatud ~ Suitsetada on keelatud. The ma-infinitive cannot be used this way.
Some verbs have other action nouns too, such as muutus (change) or müük (sale), but -mine works for almost every verb.
Examples (6)
- Suitsetamine on siin keelatud.
Smoking is not allowed here.
- Mulle meeldib ujumine.
I like swimming.
Word by Word: to-me pleases swimming
ujumine is the subject of meeldib.
- Ta lõpetas eelmisel aastal suitsetamise.
He quit smoking last year.
suitsetamise is the genitive, used as a whole object.
- Pese käed enne söömist.
Wash your hands before eating.
enne takes the partitive: söömist.
- Kus on mu lugemisprillid?
Where are my reading glasses?
In a compound, lugemine becomes lugemis-.
- Keele õppimine võtab aega.
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Common Mistakes
Using the ma-infinitive as a subject.
Suitsetama on keelatud.Suitsetamine on keelatud.The ma-infinitive cannot be a subject. Use the -mine noun, or the da-infinitive: Suitsetada on keelatud.
Leaving the -mine noun in the nominative.
Pese käed enne söömine.Pese käed enne söömist.enne takes the partitive, and -mine becomes -mist, like other -ne words.
Using -mine inside a compound.
Kus on mu lugemineprillid?Kus on mu lugemisprillid?The first part of a compound uses the genitive stem, so -mine becomes -mis-.
How It Connects
Learn This First
-mine replaces -ma and declines like a -ne word.
Related Patterns
- Building Compound Nouns
In compounds, -mine becomes -mis-.
Level 3 - da-Infinitive as SubjectInfinitive as Subject
The da-infinitive is the other way to make an activity the subject.
Level 4 - Abstract Nouns (-us, -dus)
Some verbs have a shorter action noun in -us, such as muutus.
Level 4 - Doer Nouns (-ja)
Another verb-based noun: lugeja is the person who reads.
Level 3
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice Verbal Noun (-mine) in Bubblegum
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