to leave, to exit, to depart, to quit
Building blocks
lahku- leave
-ma - infinitive ending
The Estonian word "lahkuma" is derived from the Proto-Finnic word *lahta (to separate). The word has cognates in other Finnic languages, including Finnish "lähteä" (to leave).
How to use it
Leaving a Place:
"Ma pean kontorist lahkuma." (I have to leave the office.)
Departing from an Event:
"Kontsert lõppes ja rahvas hakkas saalist lahkuma." (The concert ended, and the audience started to leave the hall.)
Leaving a Conversation or Meeting:
Example: "Pärast lühikest vestlust lahkus ta ruumist." (After a brief conversation, he left the room.)
Passing Away (figurative use):
Example: "Meie armastatud vanaisa lahkus rahulikult." (Our beloved grandfather peacefully departed.)
Leaving for a Journey:
Example: "Ta lahkus kodust maailmareisi jaoks." (He left home for an around-the-world trip.)
From where you leave/depart is in the Elative case (ending -st):
Õpilane lahkus koolist (Elative Sg) “Student left the school”
Examples
Pärast pikka tööpäeva lahkusin kontorist
Literally: “After long workday left office-from”
Idiomatically: “After a long workday I left the office”
Pärast - Preposition, "After"
pikka - Adjective - Partitive Sg, "long"
tööpäeva - Noun - Partitive Sg, "workday"
lahkusin - Verb - 1P Past Sg, "I left"
kontorist - Noun - Elative Sg, "office-from"