Vocab: hoiatama
to warn, to draw attention to possible bad consequences or danger, to alert, to make someone aware
Building blocks
hoia- - hold/keep
ta- - factitive (“make something be X”)
-ma - infinitive ending
The Estonian verb "hoiatama" (to warn) actually comes from another Estonian verb "hoidma" (to hold). Think of it this way:
If you hold someone's hand: You physically get their attention.
If you hold their attention: You can "make them aware" or “alert them” of something.
How to use it
Warning about Danger:
"Ta hoiatas mind ohtliku teeolukorra eest." (He warned me about the dangerous road conditions.)
Advising Caution:
"Arst hoiatas teda liigse füüsilise pingutuse eest." (The doctor warned him about excessive physical exertion.)
Alerting about Risks:
"Politsei hoiatas elanikke võimaliku varguseohu eest." (The police warned the residents about the potential risk of burglary.)
Forewarning of Problems:
"Ettevõtte juht hoiatas aktsionäre võimalikest majandusraskustest." (The company's manager warned the shareholders about potential financial difficulties.)
Things to note when using hoiatama:
Whom you warn is in the Partitive case (third base form)
About whom you want to warn someone is in the Genitive (second base form) + you add “eest” (which literally means on behalf/for, but in this context means “about”)
Look at the examples below to see those cases in use ⬇️
Examples
Hoiatasin oma sõpra
Literally: “Warned my friend”
Idiomatically: “I warned my friend”
Hoiatasin - Verb - 1P Past Sg, "I warned"
oma - Pronoun - Genitive Sg, "my"
sõpra - Noun - Partitive Sg, "friend"Riik hoiatas rahvast võimaliku sõja eest
Literally: “Country warned nation possible war for”
Idiomatically: “The country warned the nation about the possibility of war”
Riik - Noun - Nom Sg, "Country"
hoiatas - Verb - 3P Past Sg, "warned"
rahvast - Noun - Partitive Sg, "nation"
võimaliku - Adjective - Genitive Sg, "possible"
sõja - Noun - Genitive Sg, "war"
eest - Adverb - Indeclineable - "behalf/for"