Vocab: käskima

to command

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to order, to command, to give an order, to make a request

Building blocks

• käski- - order

• -ma - infinitive ending

It’s derived from the Proto-Finnic käskedäk (to tell, to command).

How to use it

1. Giving Orders:

   • Ohvitser käskis sõduritel rivistuda.

     • Translation: The officer ordered the soldiers to line up.

2. Instructing:

   • Õpetaja käskis õpilastel raamatud avada.

     • Translation: The teacher instructed the students to open their books.

3. Prohibiting or Forbidding:

   • Arst käskis mul mitte suitsetada.

     • Translation: The doctor ordered me not to smoke.

4. Emergency or Critical Situations:

   • Tuletõrjuja käskis kõigil hoonest lahkuda.

     • Translation: The firefighter ordered everyone to leave the building.

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What to remember when using the verb “käskima”:

1. Whom you order/command is in the Partitive Case (third base form)

2. If you command/order someone to do something, whom you order/command is in the Adessive case (ending -l) + you add the da-Infinitive

See this in use ⬇️

Examples

Ohvitser käsib sõdurit

Literally: “Officer commands soldier”

Idiomatically: “The officer commands the soldier”

Ohvitser - Noun - Nominative Sg, "Officer"
käsib - Verb - 3P Present Sg, "commands"
sõdurit - Noun - Partitive Sg, "soldier"

Ma käskisin lapsel oma tuba koristada

Literally: “I ordered child-on their room to clean”

Idiomatically: “I ordered the child to clean their room”

Ma - Pronoun - Nominative Sg, "I"
käskisin - Verb - 1P Past Sg, "ordered"
lapsel - Noun - Adessive Sg, "child-on"
oma - Pronoun - Genitive Sg, "their"
tuba - Noun - Nominative Sg, "room"
koristada - Verb - da-Infinitive, "to clean"