Vocab: üksildane

lonely

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lonely, lonesome, solitary, isolated

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Building blocks

• üksi- - “alone”

• -ldane - an adjective forming ending

"Üksildane" literally translates to "the state of being alone" and can be used to describe someone lonely or isolated.

“Üksi” is derived from “üks” (one). So essentially üksildane means "being in the state of one," or simply - "lonely."

In Estonian, there is a similar word - “üksik” (solitary, alone). If you compare the two, üksildane has more of an emotional connotation (emphasizes feelings of loneliness and isolation.)

Describing a Person:

• Üksik naine: A single woman (neutral, factual).

• Üksildane naine: A lonely woman (emotional, feeling lonely).

How to use it:

Here are a few ways the word “üksildane” can be used ⬇️

1. Expressing Feelings of Loneliness and Isolation:

   • Tunnen end kohutavalt üksildasena.

     • Translation: I'm feeling incredibly lonely

2. Describing a Lonely and Isolated Place:

   • Metsasügavuses oli üksildane maja, mida ümbritsesid vaid puud ja vaikus.

     • Translation: In the depths of the forest, there was a lonely house surrounded only by trees and silence.

Examples

Üksildane nooruk tundis end eraldatuna ja igatses sõprade seltsi

Literally: “Lonely teenager felt herself/himself isolated and longed friends company”

Idiomatically: “A lonely teenager felt isolated and longed for the company of friends”

Üksildane - Adjective - Nominative Sg, "Lonely"
nooruk - Noun - Nominative Sg, "teenager"
tundis - Verb - 3P Past Sg, "felt"
end - Pronoun - Partitive Sg, "herself/himself"
eraldatuna - Noun - Essive Sg, "lonely"
ja - Conjunction - Indeclinable, "and"
igatses - Verb - 3P Past Sg, "longed"
sõprade - Noun - Genitive Pl, "friends"
seltsi - Noun - Partitive Sg, "company"