milline / missugune

Which and What Kind

Level 1

milline and missugune mean which or what kind of, and they mean the same thing. They change like adjectives: Milline raamat? but Millist raamatut? and Millises majas?

How It Works

milline and missugune are synonyms. milline is a little more common in writing, and both are fine in speech.

They agree with the noun

  • basic form: milline raamat / missugune raamat
  • partitive: millist raamatut / missugust raamatut
  • inessive: millises majas / missuguses majas
  • plural: millised inimesed / missugused inimesed

The whole question phrase takes the case the verb needs: Millist kohvi sa jood? (What kind of coffee do you drink?) uses the partitive because the drinking is not one completed action.

Standing alone
Both words can stand without a noun: Milline sulle meeldib? (Which one do you like?) Missugune ta on? (What is she like?) They also make exclamations: Milline ilus päev! (What a beautiful day!)

Good to know

  • mis can also stand before a noun and stay unchanged, especially in speech: Mis raamatut sa loed? (What book are you reading?)
  • You will also hear colloquial forms such as misuke and miuke.
  • To choose between exactly two things, Estonian uses kumb.

Examples (6)

  1. Milline raamat sulle meeldib?

    Which book do you like?

    Word by Word: which book you-to pleases

  2. Missugune ilm täna on?

    What is the weather like today?

    Word by Word: what-kind weather today is

  3. Millises majas sa elad?

    Which house do you live in?

    Word by Word: which-in house-in you live

    milline takes the inessive -s ending, just like majas.

  4. Millist kohvi sa jood?

    What kind of coffee do you drink?

    Word by Word: which(PART) coffee(PART) you drink

  5. Missugused inimesed seal elavad?

    What kind of people live there?

    Word by Word: what-kind(PL) people there live

  6. Milline ilus päev!

    What a beautiful day!

    Word by Word: what beautiful day

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving milline in the basic form when the noun has a case ending.

    Milline majas sa elad?
    Millises majas sa elad?

    milline agrees with its noun, so it needs the same ending: millises majas.

  • Forgetting the partitive on milline.

    Milline raamatut sa loed?
    Millist raamatut sa loed?

    When the noun is in the partitive, milline must be partitive too.

How It Connects

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

milline / missuguneLevel 1Which and What Kind

Learn This First

These words take endings like adjectives.

Words in This Pattern

millinemillinemissugune