Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Conjunctions
Conjunctions in Estonian
Conjunctions are important connectors in any language. They are used to link words, phrases or clauses. In Estonian, conjunctions are divided into coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions. Coordinating conjunctions link words or groups of words of equal syntactic importance, while subordinating conjunctions are used to connect subordinate or dependent clauses to the main clause.
Coordinating Conjunctions
Coordinating conjunctions in Estonian are simple words that join words, phrases or clauses of equal importance. There are seven coordinating conjunctions in Estonian:
- ja - and
- või - or
- aga - but
- vaid - but (contradiction)
- kuid - but (contrast)
- ning - and (syntactical emphasis)
- ehk - or (alternative)
Here are some examples of how coordinating conjunctions are used in Estonian:
| Standard Estonian | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ta armastab kohvi ja teed. | Tah arm-ah-stahb ko-vvi yah teed | He likes coffee and tea. |
| Kas sa tahad õuna või pirni? | Kas sah tah-ahd õu-nah või pir-ni? | Do you want an apple or a pear? |
| Ta on ilus, aga tema sõber on veel ilusam. | Tah owee-nh ee-lus, ah-gah te-mah sõ-ber ohn vel ee-lu-sahm | She is beautiful, but her friend is even more beautiful. |
| Ma ei joo piima, vaid vett. | Mah ay yo peeah-mah, vyd veh-t | I don't drink milk, but water instead. |
| See makaron on maitsev, kuid pasta on parem. | Seh mahk-ah-rone ohn maht-sehv, kuid pah-stah ohn pa-rehm | This macaroni is tasty, but pasta is better. |
| Maria ja Paul on õpetajad, ning Mart on insener. | Mah-ree-ah yah powl ohn õ-peh-tah-yahd, ning Mart ohn in-seh-ner | Maria and Paul are teachers, and Mart is an engineer. |
| Kas sulle meeldib õlu ehk vein? | Kas sul-luh meh-el-dib õ-luh ehhk vein?] | Do you like beer or wine? |
Using "Ja" and "Aga"
The conjunction "ja" is one of the most frequently used words in Estonian. It is translated as "and" in English and is used to join two or more words, phrases or clauses that share the same syntactic relationship. It is an easy word to remember and use.
The conjunction "aga" is a bit trickier. It is translated as "but" or "however" in English and is used to introduce a contrasting idea or a shift in thought. In Estonian, it is common to place "aga" at the beginning of the sentence to emphasize the contrasting idea. For example:
- Estonian: Aga homme on parem ilm.
- English: But tomorrow the weather will be better.
Notice how the word order is different in Estonian compared to English.
Subordinating Conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions in Estonian are used to connect dependent or subordinate clauses to the main or independent clause. There are several subordinating conjunctions in Estonian, but the most commonly used ones include:
- et - that, in order that
- kui - if, when, as, while
- enne kui - before
- enne kui kui - before
- enne kui kui mitte - unless
- kuni - until
- kuna - when, because, since
- et kui - although
- kuigi - although, even though
Here are some examples of how subordinating conjunctions are used in Estonian:
| Standard Estonian | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Ma teada sain, et tema kolis Tartusse. | Mah teh-ah-dah sain, et teh-mah ko-lees Tar-tooh-seh | I found out that he moved to Tartu. |
| Kui sa tunned end halvasti, helista mulle. | Kui sah tun-ned end hahl-vahst-ee, heh-lis-tah mul-leh | If you feel bad, call me. |
| Ma ootan bussipeatuses, enne kui buss tuleb. | Mah ohh-tahn booss-ih-peh-too-ses, ene kui booss too-lehb | I'm waiting at the bus stop, before the bus arrives. |
| Ma ei ulatu riiulile, enne kui rõdule tõusen. | Mah ay oo-lah-too ree-oo-lee-leh, ene kui rõh-doo-leh tõhh-oussehn | I can't reach the shelf before I climb onto the balcony. |
| Ma ei tule, enne kui külalised lahkuvad. | Mah ay too-leh, ene kui ku-laa-lee-sehd lahk-oo-vahd | I'm not coming until the guests leave. |
| Töötan hommikust kuni õhtuni. | Töh-ö-tahn hohm-mik-ust koo-nee õhh-too-ni | I work from morning until evening. |
| Kuna väljas on ilus ilm, läheme jalutama. | Koo-nah väl-yahs ohn ee-lus eelm, lah-hehmeh yah-loo-tah-mah | Since it's a nice day outside, let's go for a walk. |
| Ma läksin kooli, et kõrgema hariduse omandada. | Mah lahks-in kool-ee, et kõrgeh-mah hah-ridoo-seh oh-mahn-dah-dah | I went to school in order to acquire higher education. |
| Kuigi oli külm, ta ei kandnud mütsi. | Kui-ghi oh-lee külm, tah ay eo kan-dnud mütsi | Although it was cold, he didn't wear a hat. |
Notice how subordinating conjunctions are followed by a dependent clause and a comma (,) in the examples above.
Practice Exercises
Now that you've learned about coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, let's practice using them in sentences. Translate the following sentences from English to Standard Estonian:
- The food was good, but the service was bad.
- If you're happy and you
- Adjective Declension
- Articles
- Cases and pronouns
- Future Tense
- How to Use Be
- Adjectives
- Negation and word order
- Nouns and possessive suffixes
- Question words and interrogative sentences
- Personal Pronouns
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