ütleva

Ütlev, or the ütlev kääne, is a grammatical case in the Estonian language best described as the comitative or instrumental case. It marks accompaniment or means by which an action is performed, roughly translating to "with" in English. The form is taught as part of the standard case system and remains a productive part of contemporary Estonian, though some sense can also be conveyed with other constructions depending on context.

Formation and forms: The comitative is typically realized by adding the suffix -ga (or -ka in phonological contexts) to the genitive form of the noun, and then adjusting for pronunciation as needed. For pronouns, the comitative forms are common and highly regular: minuga (with me), sinuga (with you), temaga (with him/her), meiega (with us), teiega (with you, plural or formal), and nendega (with them). For nouns, examples include kooliga or kooliga (with school) and raamatuga or raamatuga (with a book), depending on phonology and spelling conventions.

Usage and meaning: The ütlev kääne conveys two broad senses. It can express accompaniment, as in “I go with you” or “we work with a team,” and it can denote the instrument or means by which an action is carried out, such as “write with a pencil” or “eat with a spoon.” In many everyday contexts, speakers may opt for alternative expressions, but the comitative form remains a standard and widely understood option.

Notes: While its use remains common in standard Estonian, some nuances of accompaniment and instrumentality can also be expressed with other grammatical devices or prepositional phrases, depending on stylistic preference and dialect.