Estonian Language (eesti keel)

Estonian is an Finnic language closely related to Finnish spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia. The
main difference between Estonian and Finnish is that Finnish has a lot of loan words from Swedish, while
Estonian contains many words of German origin, plus some words from Russian, Latin, Greek and English.
There is considerable mutual intelligibility between Estonian and Finnish.
The oldest examples of written Estonian are names, words, and phrases found in early 13th century
chronicles. The earliest surviving longer text dates from the 16th century. An Estonian textbook first appeared
in 1637. Ferdinand Johann Wiedemann published the comprehensive Estonian-German dictionary in 1869,
and a grammar describing the Estonian language in 1875.
Estonian alphabet (eesti keele thestik)

Sample text in Estonian

Kik inimesed snnivad vabadena ja vrdsetena oma vrikuselt ja igustelt. Neile on antud mistus ja
sdametunnistus ja nende suhtumist ksteisesse peab kandma vendluse vaim.
Translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience
and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Estonian pronunciation

Notes
Stress almost always falls on the first syllable of words. but quite a few words of foreign origin and a
few native Estonian words, such as aith, don't follow this pattern.
Vowels and consonants can be short (written with one letter), long or extra long (written with two or
three letters).
The letter y is also called igrek.
The letters f, , z and are only used in words of foreign origin.
The letters c, q, w, x and y are used in personal names, placenames and foreign words.
Information about the Estonian alphabet and pronunciation compiled by Wolfram Siegel, with corrections by
Allan Kiisk, and some details from: http://www.eki.ee/knn/ungegn/un7_gdl.htm

Phrases - Here are some basic Estonian phrases which you can use in everyday conversation, as well as
some common words you will see on signs.
What is your name?:
Nice to meet you:
How are you?:
I'm good, thanks:
And you?:
kas sa rgid inglise keelt?
kas te rgite inglise keelt?
ma ei rgi eesti keelt
ma ei rgi palju eesti keelt
ma rgin natuke eesti keelt
ma rgin testi vhe eesti keelt
ilusat peva!
palun rkige aeglasemalt
pole viga
tere hommikust
tere pevast
tere htust
head d
head aega
kus asub tualettruum?

kuidas on teie nimi?

meeldiv tutvuda!
kuidas lheb?
tnan, hsti
kuidas teil endal lheb?
do you speak English? (familiar)
do you speak English? (polite)
I don't speak Estonian
I don't speak much Estonian
I speak a little Estonian
I only speak very little Estonian
have a nice day!
please speak more slowly (polite)
no problem
good morning
good afternoon
good evening
goodnight
goodbye
where is the toilet?

Words Tere!
jah
ei
palun
aith
tnan
tnan vga
tere
tervist
tere tulemast
ngemist!
vabanda
vabandage
vabandust
ma saan aru
ma ei saa
aru
ma tean
ma ei tea

Hi
yes
no
please; you're welcome
thanks
thank you
thank you very much
hi, hello
hello
welcome
bye, see you!
excuse me (familiar)
excuse me (polite)
sorry
I understand
I don't understand
I know
I don't know

Vocabulary
Estonian vocabulary divided into themed lists.
Language partners
Find someone to practise your Estonian with.
About the Estonian language
Estonian is spoken by about 1.1 million people worldwide, around 950,000 of whom live in Estonia itself.
It is a member of the Finno-Ugric language family, being closely related to Finnish and more distantly so to Hungarian. It's
not an Indo-European language such as French or Spanish, and as a result the vast majority of words in Estonian will look
thoroughly unfamiliar to someone whose mother tongue is English.
Estonian is certainly not considered to be an easy language to learn for English-speakers. However, don't be put off! With a
little practice, you should soon find yourself able to get by in most everyday situations.
So why learn Estonian? You enjoy a challenge - With fourteen different cases and an utterly unrecognisable vocabulary,
Estonian should test even the most capable linguist! If you've studied other European languages in the past, you may find it
refreshing to learn one where you effectively have to start entirely from scratch. It sounds beautiful - Estonian, with its
exotic vowel-rich words and almost song-like intonation, is arguably one of the world's most beautiful-sounding languages.
It's rewarding - Estonians are enormously appreciative of any attempts by foreigners to speak their language, which makes
practising what you've learnt a particular pleasure. Any trip or stay in Estonia will undoubtedly be enriched if you take the
time to learn a little of the language before you go.

Do you speak (English/Estonian)?: kas te rgite (inglise / eesti) keelt?

Does she speak Chinese?: kas ta oskab hiina keelt?
A little bit: natuke
How old are you?: kui vana te olete?
I'm 33 years old: ma olen 33 aastat vana
It was nice talking to you: oli tore vestelda!
If you don't understand something, this will be your secret weapon:
What do you mean?: mida te selle all mtlete?
I don't understand: ma ei saa aru
I don't know: ma ei tea
Sorry: vabandust!
What is that called in Estonian?: kuidas seda eesti keeles nimetatakse?
What does that word mean in English?: mida see sna inglise keeles thendab?
More personal information about origins and profession:
Where are you from?: kust te prit olete?
I'm from the U.S: ma olen usa-st
I'm American: ma olen ameeriklane
Where do you live?: kus te elate?
I live in the U.S: ma elan usa-s
What do you do for a living?: millega te tegelete?
I'm a student: ma olen lipilane
Offering or asking for help and giving directions:
Can I help you?: kas saan teid aidata?
Can you help me?: kas saaksite mind aidata?

Where is the airport?: kus on lennujaam?

Go straight: minge otse
Then: siis
Turn left: prake vasakule
Turn right: prake paremale
Good wishes in Estonian in holidays and occasions:
Happy birthday: palju nne snnipevaks!
Happy new year: head uut aastat!
Merry Christmas: hid jule!
Good luck: soovin edu!
Congratulations: nnitlen!
Estonian expressions commonly used when traveling or buying:
I have a reservation: mul on tuba reserveeritud
Do you have rooms available?: kas teil on vabu tube?
I would like a non-smoking room: ma soovin mittesuitsetajate tuba
How much it costs per night?: kui palju maksab ks ?
Waiter: kelner
How much is this?: kui palju see maksab?
What is this?: mis see on?
Survival phrases considered to be important in emergencies:
Are you okay?: kas teiega on kik korras?
I need a doctor: mul on arsti vaja
Help: appi!
Call the ambulance: kutsuge kiirabi!
Call the police: kutsuge politsei!
I am sick: ma tunnen end halvasti
kuidas lheb
kuidas sinul lheb?
kuidas teil lheb?
kuidas ksi kib?
kuidas sa elad?
tnan, hsti
normaalselt
lheb
halvasti
mis su nimi on?
mis on teie nimi?
minu nimi on ...
ma olen ...
tore sinuga tuttavaks saada
meeldiv teiega tuttavaks saada
kui vana sa oled?

how's it going?
how are you? (familiar)
how are you? (polite)
how are you?
how are you? (familiar)
I'm fine, thanks
I'm ok
it's going ok
bad
what's your name? (familiar)
what's your name? (polite)
my name is ...
I'm ...
good to meet you (familiar)
a pleasure to meet you (polite)
how old are you? (familiar)

mis td sa teed?
mis td te teete
kes sa ametilt oled?
ma olen ...
petaja
lipilane
arst

what do you do? (familiar)

what do you do? (polite)
what do you do?(familiar)
I'm a ...
teacher
(university) student
doctor

ma ttan ajakirjanikuna
ma ttan veebidisainerina
kas sa suitsetad?
kas te suitsetate?
jah, ma suitsetan
ma ei suitseta
kas ma tohin suitsetada?
mis on su telefoninumber?
kas sa oled vaba tna htul?
kas sa oled vaba homme prastlunal?
kas sa oled vaba homme htul?
kas sul on ndalavahetuseks plaane?

I work as a journalist
I work as a web designer
do you smoke? (familiar)
do you smoke? (polite)
yes, I smoke
I don't smoke
do you mind if I smoke?
what's your phone number? (familiar)
are you free this evening? (familiar)
are you free tomorrow afternoon? (familiar)
are you free tomorrow evening? (familiar)
do you have any plans for the weekend? (familiar)

Emergencies - Here are some Estonian phrases and exclamations for use in emergencies and other difficult
situations. Hopefully you won't need to use them!

kas te olete midagi joonud?

appi!
ole ettevaatlik
ettevaatust!
palun aidake!
kutsu kiirabi!
kutsuge kiirabi!
on juhtunud nnetus
minu rahakott varastati ra
peatage varas!
kutsuge politsei!
ma olen eksinud
Tulekahju!
kas sinuga on kik korras?
kas teiega on kik korras?

have you had anything to drink?

help!
be careful
watch out!
please help!
call an ambulance! (familiar)
call an ambulance! (polite)
there's been an accident
my wallet has been stolen
stop thief!
call the police!
I'm lost
fire!
are you ok? (familiar)
are you ok? (polite)

Telling the time - Learn how to tell the time in Estonian. The 24-hour clock is widely used in Estonian,
although the 12-hour clock is also common, particularly in less formal situations.
mis kell on?
kell ks
kell kaks
kell kolm

what's the time?

one o'clock
two o'clock
three o'clock

veerand kaks quarter past one

veerand kolm quarter past two
veerand neli
quarter past three
pool kaks
half past one
pool kolm
half past two
pool neli
half past three
kolmveerand kaks
quarter to two
kolmveerand kolm
quarter to three
kolmveerand neli
quarter to four
viis minutit ks lbi
five past one
kmme minutit ks lbi
ten past one
kakskmmend minutit ks lbi
twenty past one
kakskmmend viis minutit ks lbi
twenty-five past one
viie prast kaks
five to two
kmne prast kaks
ten to two
kahekmne prast kaks
twenty to two
kahekmne viie prast kaks
twenty-five to two
keskpev
noon, midday
kesk
midnight
leeile
the day before yesterday
eile
yesterday
tna
today
homme
tomorrow
lehomme
the day after tomorrow
The weather - Here are some Estonian phrases you can use when talking about the weather.
kuidas ilm on?
mis ilm on?
pike paistab
vihma sajab
lund sajab
palav on
klm on
vga palav on
vga klm on

what's the weather like?

what's the weather like?
it's sunny
it's raining
it's snowing
it's hot
it's cold
it's very hot
it's very cold

kui kena pev!

kui ilus pev!
kui kohutav pev!
kui soe vljas on?
mis ilmaennustus tleb?
ennustati, et hakkab sadama
paistab, et hakkab sadama

what a nice day!

what a beautiful day!
what a terrible day!
what's the temperature?
what's the forecast?
it's forecast to rain
it looks like it's going to rain

Travel - Here are some general Estonian phrases useful for various types of travel.
kus on ...?

where is ...?

bussijaam
the bus station
lennujaam
the airport
rongijaam
the train station
kust ma saan takso? where can I get a taxi?
buss
bus
lennuk
plane
rong
train
laev
ship, boat
takso
taxi
auto
car
jalgratas
bicycle
bussiga
lennukiga
rongiga
laevaga
jalgsi
vasak
parem
otse edasi
head reisi!

by bus
by plane
by train
by boat
on foot
left
right
straight ahead
have a good journey!

kui kaugel on see ...?

kesklinnast
lennujaamast
raudteejaamast
auto
veoauto
mootorratas
mopeed
motoroller

how far is it from the ...?

city centre
airport
railway station
car
lorry/truck
motorcycle
moped
scooter

Reservation...
see on pisut rohkem kui oleksin nus maksma
kas saaksite mulle pakkuda allahindlust?
kas teil on midagi ...?
odavamat
suuremat
vaiksemat
kas ma saaksin tuba nha?

that's a bit more than I wanted to pay

can you offer me any discount?
have you got anything ...?
cheaper
bigger
quieter
may I see the room?

Making the booking

olgu, ma vtan selle
OK, I'll take it
ma sooviksin tuba reserveerida I'd like to make a reservation
kuidas on teie nimi?
what's your name, please?
teid krediitkaardi number, palun can I take your credit card number?
mis kell te saabute?
what time will you be arriving?
kui mitmeks ks? for how many nights?

kui kauaks te jte? how long will you be staying for?

heks ks
one night
kaheks ks
two nights
heks ndalaks a week
missugust tuba te sooviksite? what sort of room would you like?
ma sooviksin ...
I'd like a ...
heinimesetuba
single room
kaheinimesetuba
double room
kahe voodiga tuba twin room
kolme voodiga tuba triple room
sviiti
suite
ma sooviksin ... tuba I'd like a room with ...
vanniga
a bath
duiga
a shower
vaatega
a view
vaatega merele
a sea view
rduga
a balcony
kas ma saaksin lisavoodi? could we have an extra bed?