Whole Object in the Genitive
When an action is finished and affects the whole of one thing, the object takes the genitive form: Ma ostsin raamatu. (I bought a book.) Ta sõi leiva ära. (She ate up the bread.)
How It Works
The four conditions
- The sentence is positive. With ei the object is always partitive.
- The action is finished or reaches a result.
- The object is a whole thing or a fixed amount, not "some".
- The verb is not one of the verbs that always take the partitive, such as armastama or ootama.
If any condition fails, use the partitive.
Compare
- Ma sõin leiba. (I ate some bread.) – Ma sõin leiva ära. (I ate up the bread.)
- Ma otsin võtit. (I'm looking for the key.) – Ma leidsin võtme. (I found the key.)
- Isa parandas autot. (Dad was repairing the car.) – Isa parandas auto ära. (Dad fixed the car.)
Finishing words help
Small words such as ära, läbi and valmis stress that the action is complete, so they often come with a genitive object: Ma lugesin raamatu läbi. (I read the book through.) See finishing words.
Present tense can mean the future
With a whole object, the present often means that the action will be completed: Ma teen kodutöö homme valmis. (I'll get my homework done tomorrow.)
Good to know
- Adjectives agree: Me ostsime uue auto. (We bought a new car.)
- For many nouns the genitive and partitive look the same (maja, kiri), so learn nouns where they differ first: raamatu / raamatut, akna / akent, ukse / ust.
- A whole plural object uses the nominative plural: Ma ostsin raamatud.
- In commands and in impersonal sentences, a whole singular object is nominative instead: Osta raamat! See whole object in the nominative.
Examples (6)
- Ma ostsin raamatu.
I bought a book.
Word by Word: I bought book(GEN)
raamatu is the genitive. The buying is finished and the whole book is bought.
- Ta sõi leiva ära.
She ate up the bread.
Word by Word: she ate bread(GEN) away
Compare Ta sõi leiba, which means she ate some bread.
- Me leidsime võtme.
We found the key.
Word by Word: we found key(GEN)
- Ta avas akna.
He opened the window.
Word by Word: he opened window(GEN)
- Me ostsime uue auto.
We bought a new car.
Word by Word: we bought new(GEN) car(GEN)
The adjective uus agrees with the noun and is also in the genitive.
- Ma tegin kodutöö valmis.
I finished my homework.
Word by Word: I made homework(GEN) ready
Common Mistakes
Leaving a whole singular object in the basic form.
Ma ostsin raamat.Ma ostsin raamatu.In a positive sentence with an ordinary verb, a whole singular object takes the genitive. The basic form is used for such objects mainly in commands and impersonal sentences.
Using the genitive in a negative sentence.
Ma ei ostnud raamatu.Ma ei ostnud raamatut.Negation always makes the object partitive, even when the action would otherwise be finished.
Using the genitive with a verb that always takes the partitive.
Ma armastan selle raamatu.Ma armastan seda raamatut.armastama never has a result, so its object is always partitive.
How It Connects
Learn This First
A whole object is contrasted with the partitive object.
Related Patterns
- Whole Plural Object
A whole plural object uses the nominative plural instead of the genitive.
Level 2 - Whole Object in the Nominative
Commands and impersonal sentences put a whole singular object in the nominative.
Level 3 - Genitive (Owner Form)
The whole object has the same form as the genitive singular.
Level 1 - Finishing Words (ära, läbi, valmis)
These words mark a finished action and often come with a whole object.
Level 3 - Choosing the Object Case
Brings all the object rules together in one overview.
Level 4
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Whole Object in the Genitive in Bubblegum
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