influential; having a strong effect or impact; powerful; able to shape opinions, decisions or events

Building blocks

• mõju- → root, from the noun mõju (influence, impact, effect)

• -kas → adjective suffix meaning “rich in/having a lot of”

So literally mõjukas means: “having (a lot of) influence”

⚠️ Don’t confuse mõjukas with mõjuv: a person or force is mõjukas (has power to influence), but an argument or reason is mõjuv (compelling, convincing).

How to use it:

Here is how you use the word “mõjukas” ⬇️

Examples

Tema arvamus oli koosolekul väga mõjukas.

Literally: “His/Her opinion was meeting-on very influential.”

Idiomatically: “His/Her opinion carried a lot of weight at the meeting.”

Tema - Pronoun - Genitive Singular: "His/Her"
arvamus - Noun - Nominative Singular: "opinion"
oli - Verb	- 3rd Person Singular, Past Tense: "was"
koosolekul - Noun - Adessive Singular: "at the meeting"
väga - Adverb - Indeclinable: "very"
mõjukas - Adjective - Nominative Singular: "influential"

---

to contain; to include; to hold within; to have something as a part or ingredient; to encompass

Building blocks

• sisal- → root, related to sisald- / sisu (content, substance, interior)

• -da- → verb stem extension

• -ma → infinitive ending

So literally sisaldama means: “to have substance/content inside”

How to use it

What to remember

What is contained is in the Partitive case (third base form)

Example

See raamat sisaldab palju kasulikku teavet.

Literally: “This book contains much useful-of information.”

Idiomatically: “This book contains a lot of useful information.”

See – Pronoun – Nominative Singular: "This"
raamat – Noun – Nominative Singular: "book"
sisaldab – Verb – 3rd Person Singular, Present Tense: "contains"
palju – Adverb – Indeclinable: "much/a lot of"
kasulikku – Adjective – Partitive Singular: "useful"
teavet – Noun – Partitive Singular: "information"

short-sighted; near-sighted; unable to see far; (figuratively) lacking foresight; failing to consider long-term consequences

Building blocks

• lühi- → root from lühike (short)

• näge- → root from nägema (to see)

• -lik → adjective-forming suffix (”having the quality of”)

So literally lühinägelik means: “having the quality of short-seeing”

How to use it:

Here is how you use the word “lühinägelik” ⬇️

Examples

Valitsuse otsus oli lühinägelik – nad ei mõelnud tulevastele põlvkondadele.

Literally: “"The government's decision was short-sighted – they didn't think future-onto generations-onto.”

Idiomatically: “The government made a short-sighted decision — no thought for future generations.”

Valitsuse  –  Noun – Genitive Singular: "The government's"
otsus  –  Noun – Nominative Singular: "decision"
oli  –  Verb – 3rd Person Singular, Past Tense: "was"
lühinägelik  –  Adjective – Nominative Singular: "short-sighted"
nad  –  Pronoun – Nominative Plural: "they"
ei mõelnud  –  Verb – 3rd Person Plural, Past Tense, Negation: "didn't think"
tulevastele  –  Adjective – Allative Plural: "for future"
põlvkondadele  –  Noun – Allative Plural: "for generations"

Building blocks

• kinni- → root related to "firm / fixed / tight" (connected to kinnine — closed)

• -ta- → causative suffix (makes something happen)

• -ma → infinitive ending

So literally kinnitama means: "to make something fixed/firm"

How to use it

Example

Palun kinnitage oma e-posti aadress

Literally: “Please confirm your e-mail address”

Idiomatically: “Please verify/confirm your email address”

Palun - Adverb — Indeclinable: "please"
kinnitage - Verb — 2nd Person Plural, Formal Imperative: "confirm"
oma - Pronoun — Genitive, Reflexive: "your (own)"
e-posti - Noun — Genitive Singular: "of email"
aadress - Noun — Nominative Singular: "address"

depressing; disheartening; something that brings you down emotionally; that which causes a feeling of heaviness or hopelessness

Building blocks

• masen- → root (base meaning: to weigh down/oppress)

• da- → verb infinitive ending (masendama = to depress)

• -v → adjective forming ending (turns the verb into "that which depresses")

So literally "masendav" means "that which is depressing/that which weighs you down."

How to use it:

Here is how you use the word “masendav” ⬇️

Examples

See film oli masendav, aga väga hea

Literally: “That film was depressing but very good”

Idiomatically: “That film was depressing but really good”

See - Pronoun - Nominative Singular: "That/This"
film - Noun - Nominative Singular: "film"
oli - Verb - 3rd Person Singular, Past Tense: "was"
masendav - Adjective - Nominative Singular: "depressing"
aga - Conjunction - Indeclinable: "but"
väga - Adverb - Indeclinable: "very"
hea - Adjective - Nominative Singular: "good"

Building blocks

• arva- → root related to opinion/guessing (arvamus – opinion)

• -ma → infinitive ending

So literally arvama means: "to form an opinion"

⚠️ arvama vs. mõtlema: if you can replace "think" with "believe" or "reckon", use arvama — if it's more like "ponder" or "think about", use mõtlema.

How to use it

What to remember

• The thing you think or believe is expressed as an et-clause (a "that"-clause)

Example

Arvan, et see on hea mõte

Literally: “I-think that this is good idea”

Idiomatically: “I think this is a good idea”

Arvan - Verb – 1st Person Singular, Present Tense: "I think"
et - Conjunction – Indeclinable: "that"
see - Pronoun – Nominative Singular: "this"
on - Verb – 3rd Person Singular, Present Tense: "is"
hea - Adjective – Nominative Singular: "good"
mõte - Noun – Nominative Singular: "idea"

 polite; courteous; well-mannered; decent

Building blocks

• viis → way/manner (as in a way of doing things)

• -aka- → adjectival suffix (implies having the quality of)

• -s → adjective forming ending

So literally "viisakas" means "having good manners" — someone who conducts themselves in the right way.

How to use it:

Here is how you use the word “viisakas” ⬇️

Examples

Lapsed õpetati olema viisakad võõraste inimestega

Literally: “Children were-taught to-be polite strangers people-with”

Idiomatically: “The children were taught to be polite to strangers”

Lapsed - Noun - Nominative Plural: "children"
õpetati - Verb - Impersonal Past: "were taught"
olema - Verb - Infinitive: "to be"
viisakad - Adjective - Nominative Plural: "polite"
võõraste - Adjective - Genitive Plural: "of strangers/strangers'"
inimestega - Noun - Comitative Plural: "with people"

---

to forbid; to ban; to prohibit; to not allow; to restrict

Building blocks

• keela- → from the noun keel — "tongue, language" — but here in the sense of "prohibition, ban"

• -ma → infinitive ending

So literally keelama means: "to use the tongue against something" → to put a verbal stop to it

How to use it

What to remember

• The thing being forbidden is in the Partitive case (third base form)

• The person being forbidden from doing something is in the Adessive case (ending -l)

Example

Arst keelas patsiendil alkoholi juua

Literally: “Doctor forbade patient-on alcohol to-drink”

Idiomatically: “The doctor forbade the patient from drinking alcohol”

Arst - Noun - Nominative Singular:"Doctor"
keelas - Verb - 3rd Person Singular, Past Tense: "forbade"
patsiendil	- Noun - Adessive Singular: "the patient"
alkoholi - Noun — Partitive Singular: "alcohol"
juua - Verb — da-Infinitive: "to drink"

outstanding; remarkable; conspicuous; standing out from the rest; noticeable above others

Building blocks

• silma- → from silm (eye)

• paiste- → root from paistma (to shine, to appear, to be visible)

• -v → adjectve forming ending (creates an adjective meaning “one that is [verb]-ing”)

So literally silmapaistev means "eye-catching", something that catches the eye, that shines into the eye.

How to use it:

Here is how you use the word “silmapaistev” ⬇️

Examples

Õpilane andis silmapaistva vastuse

Literally: “Pupil gave eye-catching answer”

Idiomatically: “The pupil gave an outstanding answer”

Õpilane- Noun - Nominative Singular: "pupil"
andis - Verb - 3rd Person Singular, Past Tense: "gave"
silmapaistva - Adjective - Genitive Singular: "outstanding"
vastuse - Noun - Genitive Singular: "answer"

---

to exclude; to rule out; to eliminate (a possibility); to make impossible

Building blocks

• välis- → outer/outside (related to "välja" – out, outside)

• -ta- → causative suffix (makes something happen)

• -ma → infinitive ending

So literally välistama means: "to make (something) be on the outside"

How to use it

What to remember

• What you exclude or rule out is in the Partitive case (third base form)

Example

Politsei ei välistanud kuritegu

Literally: “Police not rule out crime”

Idiomatically: “The police did not rule out a crime”

Politsei - Noun - Nominative Singular: "The police"
ei välistanud - Verb - 3rd Person Singular, Past Tense, Negation: "did not rule out"
kuritegu - Noun - Partitive Singular: "a crime"

talkative; chatty; fond of talking; someone who talks a lot and easily; communicative

Building blocks

• jutu → from the noun jutt (talk, story, chat, speech)

• -kas → adjective suffix meaning “full of” or “having a lot of”

So literally jutukas means: "full of talk"

How to use it:

Here is how you use the word “jutukas” ⬇️

Examples

Mu naaber on nii jutukas, et kohtumised venivad alati liiga pikaks

Literally: “My neighbour is so talkative that meetings drag always too long-into”

Idiomatically: “My neighbour is so talkative that our chats always go on for too long”

Mu - Pronoun – Genitive Singular: "my"
naaber - Noun – Nominative Singular: "neighbour"
on - Verb – 3rd Person Singular, Present Tense: "is"
nii - Adverb – Indeclinable: "so"
jutukas - Adjective – Nominative Singular: "talkative"
et - Conjunction – Indeclinable: "that"
kohtumised - Noun – Nominative Plural: "meetings/chats"
venivad - Verb – 3rd Person Plural, Present Tense: "stretch/drag on"
alati - Adverb – Indeclinable: "always"
liiga - Adverb – Indeclinable: "too"
pikaks - Adjective – Translative Singular: "long" (into being long)

---

to ask; to find out something by asking questions; to ask for

Building blocks

• küsi- → root meaning “ask/question”

• -ma → infinitive ending

So literally küsima means: “to do asking”

How to use it

What to remember

• The person from whom you ask something is in the Ablative case (ending -lt)

• The thing being asked is in the Partitive case (third base form)

Example

Küsi emalt luba!

Literally: “Ask mum-from permission”

Idiomatically: “Ask mum for permission!”

Küsi - Verb - 2nd Person Singular, Imperative mood: "Ask"
emalt - Noun - Ablative Singular: "from mum"
luba - Noun - Partitive Singular: "permission"

Ta küsis minult nõu

Literally: “He/She asked me-from advice”

Idiomatically: “He/She asked me for advice”

Ta - Pronoun - Nominative Singular: "He/She"
küsis - Verb - 3rd Person Singular, Past Tense: "asked"
minult - Pronoun - Ablative Singular: "from me"
nõu - Noun - Partitive Singular: "advice"

similar; alike; similar in appearance or in some other way; that type

Building blocks

• sarna- → root (base meaning related to “similarity”)

• -ne → adjective ending (turns it into an adjective)

So literally “sarnane” means “having similarity”

How to use it:

Here is how you use the word “sarnane” ⬇️

Examples

Uus telefon on sarnane eelmise mudeliga

Literally: “New phone is similar previous model-with”

Idiomatically: “The new phone is similar to the previous model”

Uus - Adjective - Nominative Singular: "New"
telefon - Noun - Nominative Singular: "phone"
on - Verb - 3rd Person Singular, Present Tense: "is"
sarnane - Adjective - Nominative Singular: "similar"
⚠️ important detail: sarnane doesn’t stand alone here — it requires the comitative (-ga) case
eelmise - Adjective - Genitive Singular: "previous"
mudeliga - Noun - Comitative Singular: "with model"

---

to collect; to gather; to accumulate; to bring or gather something from different places into one place (by searching); to save something and put it aside as a reserve

Building blocks

• kogu- → from the noun kogu (whole, entire, total)

• -ma → infinitive ending

So literally koguma means: “to bring into a whole”

How to use it

What to remember

What you collect is in the Partitive case (third base form)

Example

Lapsed koguvad sügisel pargis kastaneid ja lehti

Literally: “Children collect autumn-on park-in chestnuts and leaves”

Idiomatically: “Children collect chestnuts and leaves in the park in autumn”

Lapsed - Noun - Nominative Plural: "Children"
koguvad - Verb - 3rd Person Plural, Present Tense: "collect"
sügisel - Noun - Adessive Singular: "on autumn"
pargis - Noun - Inessive Singular: "in park"
kastaneid - Noun - Partitive Plural: "chestnuts"
ja - Conjunction - Indeclinable: "and"
lehti - Noun - Partitive Plural: "leaves"

challenging; demanding; deliberately provocative; attention-seeking in a sexual way

Building blocks

• välja- → out/forth

• -kutsuv → calling/inviting/summoning (from kutsuma = to call, invite)

So literally it means calling out or inviting forth

How to use it:

Here is how you use the word “väljakutsuv” ⬇️

Examples

Uue ettevõtte alustamine võib olla väljakutsuv

Literally: “New business starting can be challenging”

Idiomatically: “Starting a new business can be challenging”

Uue - Adjective - Gentitive Singular: "New"
ettevõtte - Noun - Genitive Singular: "business"
alustamine - Noun - Nominative Singular: "starting"
võib - Verb - 3rd Person Singular, Present Tense: "can"
olla - Verb - da-Infinitive: "be"
väljakutsuv - Adjective - Nominative Singular: "challenging"

---

to prepare; to make; to manufacture; to produce; (mainly about objects, products, food:) to make; (usually about some feeling:) to evoke, to cause, to create

Building blocks

• valmis- → ready/finished/prepared

• -ta- → (causative) means to make something happen

• -ma → infinitive ending

So literally valmistama means: “to make ready”

How to use it

What to remember

What you prepare or cause, is in the Partitive case (third base form)

Example

Lapse edu valmistas vanematele suurt uhkust

Literally: “Child’s success caused parents-onto great pride”

Idiomatically: “The child’s success made the parents very proud”

Lapse - Noun - Genitive Singular: "The child's"
edu - Noun - Nominative Singular: "success"
valmistas - Verb - 3rd Person Singular, Past Tense: "caused"
vanematele - Noun - Allative Plular: "to/for the parents"
suurt - Adjective - Partitive Singular: "great/big"
uhkust - Noun - Partitive Singular: "pride"

successful, effective, high-performing, accomplished, well-regarded

Building blocks

• edu- → means success, progress, good results, advancement

• -kas → adjective-forming ending → “having/full of”

So edukas literally means: “having success/characterized by success”

How to use it:

Here is how you use the word “edukas” ⬇️

Examples

Õige ajastus mängib suurt rolli edukas ettevõtmises

Literally: “Right timing plays big role successful-in venture-in”

Idiomatically: “Timing plays a big role in a successful venture”

Õige - Adjective - Nominative Singular: "Right"
ajastus - Noun - Nominative Singular: "timing"
mängib - Verb - 3rd Person Singular, Present Tense: "plays"
suurt - Adjective - Partitive Singular: "big"
rolli - Noun - Partitive Singular: "role"
edukas - Adjective - Inessive Singular: "in successful"
ettevõtmises - Noun - Inessive Singular: "in venture"

---

to belong; to be part of; to be in someone’s possession; to belong to a group or category; to be in the right/suitable place

Building blocks

• kuulu- → stem (belonging/being part of something/fitting somewhere)

• -ma → infinitive ending

It’s borrowed from the Finnish kuulua (to be heard, to belong)

How to use it

What to remember

To whom or what something belongs is in the Allative case (ending -le)

Example

See kunstiteos kuulub muuseumile ja seda ei tohi loata välja viia

Literally: “This artwork belongs museum-onto and it not must without permisson out to take”

Idiomatically: “This artwork belongs to the museum and it must not be taken out without permission”

See - Pronoun - Nominative Singular: "This"
kunstiteos - Noun - Nominative Singular: "artwork"
kuulub - Verb - 3rd Person Singular, Present Tense: "belongs"
muuseumile - Noun - Allative Singular: "to museum"
ja - Conjunction - Indeclinable: "and"
seda - Pronoun - Partitive Singular: "this/it"
ei tohi - Verb - 3rd Person Singular, Negative Present Tense: "must not"
loata - Noun - Abessive Singular: "without permission"
välja - Adverb - Indeclinable: "out"
viia - Verb - da-Infinitve: "to take"

funny; something that makes you laugh; something that creates a cheerful mood; strange; odd

Building blocks

• nalja- → derived from the word nali (joke)

• -kas → adjective-forming ending → “having / full of”

So naljakas literally means: “full of jokes”

How to use it:

Here is how you use the word “naljakas” ⬇️

Examples

Naljakas juhtum leidis aset eile õhtul

Literally: “Funny incident found place yesterday night-on”

Idiomatically: “A funny incident took place last night”

Naljakas - Adjective - Nominative Singular: "Funny"
juhtum - Noun - Nominative Singular: "incident"
leidis aset - idiomatic expression meaning “took place” / “occurred” (literally “found place”)
eile - Adverb - Indeclinable: "yesterday"
õhtul - Noun - Adessive Singular: "on night"

---

to deny; to say ‘no’; to disown; to be against something; to consider something wrong or unnecessary

Building blocks

• eita- → deny/not accept

• -ma → infinitive ending

Eitama literally comes from “ei” (no) and means “to say no” or “to deny”

How to use it

What to remember

What you deny is in the Partitive Case (third base form)

Example

Kahtlusalune eitas kuritegu, vaatamata selgetele tõenditele

Literally: “Suspect denied crime despite clear-onto evidence-onto”

Idiomatically: “The suspect denied the crime despite clear evidence”

Kahtlusalune - Noun - Nominative Singular: "Suspect"
eitas - Verb - 3rd Person Singular, Past Tense: "denied"
kuritegu - Noun - Partitive Singular: "crime"
vaatamata - Converb form (from vaatama) - Indeclinable: "despite"
selgetele - Adjective - Allative Plural: "onto clear"
tõenditele - Noun - Allative Plural: "onto evidence"