Estonian Verbs

If you're trying to learn Estonian Verbs you will find some useful resources including a course about Verbs in the present past and future tense... to help you with your Estonian grammar. Try to concentrate on the lesson and notice the pattern that occurs each time the word changes its place. Also don't forget to check the rest of our other lessons listed on Learn Estonian. Enjoy the rest of the lesson!

Estonian Verbs

Learning the Estonian Verbs is very important because its structure is used in every day conversation. The more you master it the more you get closer to mastering the Estonian language. But first we need to know what the role of Verbs is in the structure of the grammar in Estonian.

Estonian verbs are words that convey action (bring, read, walk, run), or a state of being (exist, stand). In most languages a verb may agree with the person, gender, and/or number of some of its arguments, such as its subject, or object.

Grammar Tips:

-       Present Tense

In Estonian, verbs take the following endings to form the present tense:

mina -n, sina -d, tema -b, meie -me, teie -te, nemad -vad. Example:

mina mängin, sina mängid, tema mängib, meie mängime, teie mängite, nemad mängivad.

 

These endings can help you a lot, because with them you can conjugate almost all the verbs into the present tense, you only need the stem of the verb, for example the stem of (mängima: to play) is (mängi).

 

-       Past Tense

In Estonian as well as in English the simple past tense is used to describe past events. The endings for the past tense verbs are:

mina -sin, sina -sid, tema -(i)s, meie -sime, teie -site, nemad -sid. Example :

mina mängisin, sina mängisid, tema mängis, meie mängisime, teie mängisite, nemad mängisid.

 

So just take any regular verb stem and add it to the endings above, for example our previous verb mängima (to play), its stem is “mängi”, plus the endings above becomes mina mängisin (I platyed).

 

-       Future Tense

Estonian has no future tense. When talking about events that are happening in the future, present simple is typically used.


Here are some examples:

English VerbsEstonian Verbs
VerbsVerbid
Pastminevik
I spokema rääkisin
I wrotema kirjutasin
I drovema sõitsin
I lovedArmastasin
I gavema andsin
I smiledma naeratasin
I tookma võtsin
he spokeTa rääkis
he wroteta kirjutas
he droveta sõitis
he lovedta armastas
he gaveTa andis
he smiledta naeratas
he tookTa võttis
we spokeme rääkisime
we wroteme kirjutasime
we droveme sõitsime
we lovedMe armastasime
we gaveme andsime
we smiledme naeratasime
we tookme võtsime
FutureTulevik
I will speakma räägin
I will writeMa kirjutan
I will drivema juhin
I will loveMa armastan
I will giveMa annan
I will smilema naeratan
I will takeMa võtan
he will speakta räägib
he will writeTa kirjutab
he will driveta sõidab
he will loveTa armastab
he will giveTa annab
he will smileta naeratab
he will taketa võtab
we will speakme räägime
we will writeme kirjutame
we will driveme sõidame
we will loveme armastame
we will giveme anname
we will smileme naeratame
we will takeme võtame
Presentolevik
I speakma räägin
I writeMa kirjutan
I driveMa sõidan
I loveMa armastan
I giveMa annan
I smilema naeratan
I takeMa võtan
he speaksta räägib
he writesta kirjutab
he drivesta sõidab
he lovesta armastab
he givesta annab
he smilesTa naeratab
he takesta võtab
we speakme räägime
we writeme kirjutame
we driveme sõidame
we loveme armastame
we giveme anname
we smileme naeratame
we takeme võtame

Notice the structure of the Verbs in Estonian has a logical pattern. Locate the Verbs above and see how it works with the rest of the sentence in Estonian.

Grammar Tips:
Present Tense: In Estonian, verbs take the following endings to form the present tense: mina -n, sina -d, tema -b, meie -me, teie -te, nemad -vad.
These endings can help you a lot, because with them you can conjugate all verbs into the present tense, you only need the stem of the verb, for example the stem of mängima (to play) is "mängi".


Grammar Tips:
Past Tense: In Estonian as well as in English the simple past tense (imperfect) is used to describe past events, regularly used when talking or writing about the past. To form the simple past tense of different types of verbs the past form of the 1st person singular need to be memorized. The most common suffix is -s followed by the appropriate verb ending:
ma kirjutasin (I wrote), sa kirjutasid (you wrote), ta kirjutas (he/she wrote), me kirjutasime (we wrote), te kirjutasite (you wrote), nad kirjutasid (they wrote).
The negative of the simple past tense is easy: "ei"+verb with the -nud ending: ma ei kirjutanud (I didn’t write), sa ei kirjutanud (you didn’t write), ta ei kirjutanud (he/she didn't write), me ei kirjutanud (we didn't write), te ei kirjutanud (you didn't write), nad ei kirjutanud (they didn't write).


Grammar Tips:
There is no Future Tense in Estonian, just use the Present Tense to express the future.


List of Verbs in Estonian

Below is a list of the conjugated Verbs in the present past and future in Estonian placed in a table. Memorizing this table will help you add very useful and important words to your Estonian vocabulary.

English VerbsEstonian Verbs
I can accept thatma võin selle vastu võtta
she added itTa lisas selle
we admit itme tunnistame seda
they advised himnad andsid talle nõu
I can agree with thatma võin sellega nõustuda
she allows itta lubab seda
we announce itme teavitame sellest
I can apologizema võin vabandust paluda
she appears todayta ilmub täna
they arranged thatnemad korraldasid selle
I can arrive tomorrowvõin homme saabuda
she can ask himta võib temalt küsida
she attaches thatta lisab selle
we attack themme ründame neid
they avoid hernad väldivad teda
I can bake itma võin selle küpsetada
she is like himta on nagu temagi
we beat itme saame sellest jagu
they became happynad said õnnelikuks
I can begin thatma võin seda alustada
we borrowed moneyme laenasime raha
they breathe airnad hingavad õhku
I can bring itma võin selle tuua
I can build thatma võin selle ehitada
she buys foodta ostab toitu
we calculate itme arvutame seda
they carry itnad kannavad seda
they don't cheatnad ei peta
she chooses himta valib tema
we close itme sulgeme selle
he comes hereta tuleb siia
I can compare thatsaan seda võrrelda
she competes with meta võistleb minuga
we complain about itme kaebame selle üle
they continued readingnad jätkasid lugemist
he cried about thatta nuttis selle pärast
I can decide nowma saan nüüd otsustada
she described it to meta kirjeldas seda mulle
we disagree about itme ei nõustunud selles osas
they disappeared quicklynad kadusid kiiresti
I discovered thatma avastasin selle
she dislikes thattalle ei meeldi see
we do itme teeme seda
they dream about itnad unistavad sellest
I earnedma teenisin
he eats a lotta sööb palju
we enjoyed thatme nautisime seda
they entered herenad sisenesid siia
he escaped thatta pääses sellest
I can explain thatma võin seda selgitada
she feels that toota tunneb seda ka
we fled from thereme põgenesime sealt
they will fly tomorrownad lendavad homme
I can follow youma võin teile järgneda
she forgot meta unustas mu
we forgive himme anname talle andeks
I can give her thatma võin talle selle anda
she goes thereta läheb sinna
we greeted themme tervitasime neid
I hate thatMa vihkan seda
I can hear itMa kuulen seda
she imagine thatta kujutleb seda
we invited themme kutsusime nad
I know himma tunnen teda
she learned itta õppis seda
we leave nowme lahkume nüüd
they lied about himnad valetasid tema kohta
I can listen to thatma võin seda kuulata
she lost thatta kaotas selle
we made it yesterdaytegime selle eile
they met himnad kohtusid temaga
I misspell thatma kirjutasin selle valesti
I always prayma alati palvetan
she prefers thatta eelistab seda
we protected themme kaitsesime neid
they will punish hernad karistavad teda
I can put it therema võin selle sinna panna
she will read itta loeb seda
we received thatme saime selle kätte
they refuse to talknad keelduvad rääkimast
I remember thatma mäletan seda
she repeats thatta kordab seda
we see itme näeme seda
they sell itnad müüvad seda
I sent that yesterdayma saatsin selle eile
he shaved his beardta ajas habet
it shrunk quicklysee kahanes kiiresti
we will sing itme laulame seda
they sat therenad istusid seal
I can speak itma võin seda rääkida
she spends moneyta kulutab raha
we suffered from thatme kannatasime selle all
they suggest thatnad soovitavad seda
I surprised himma üllatasin teda
she took thatta võttis selle
we teach itme õpetame seda
they told usnad ütlesid meile
she thanked himta tänas teda
I can think about itma võin selle üle mõelda
she threw itta viskas seda
we understand thatme mõistame seda
they want thatnad tahavad seda
I can wear itma võin seda kanda
she writes thatta kirjutab seda
we talk about itme räägime sellest
they have itneil on see
I watched itMa vaatasin seda
I will talk about itma räägin sellest
he bought that yesterdayta ostis selle eile
we finished itme lõpetasime selle

Verbs in the present past and future tense have a very important role in Estonian. Once you're done with Estonian Verbs, you might want to check the rest of our Estonian lessons here: Learn Estonian. Don't forget to bookmark this page.

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