Adoptiivseid

Adoptiivseid is an Estonian adjective inflected form meaning "adoptive" when describing plural nouns in the partitive case. It is the partitive plural form of the adjective adoptiivne. It occurs most often in contexts referring to families or children where the object of the sentence is indefinite or non-specific, for example adoptiivseid vanemaid (“adoptive parents”) and adoptiivseid lapsi (“adoptive children”). The base adjective adoptiivne is used to denote an adoptive relationship, as opposed to biological or genetic relationships. In standard Estonian, adjectives agree with the noun in number and case, so the form changes with the noun phrase. The word is common in everyday usage, in social services, family law, and education when distinguishing adoptive from biological relationships.

Morphology notes: the nominative plural form of this adjective is adoptiivsed, while adoptiivseid marks the partitive plural. This distinction mirrors the broader Estonian pattern where adjectives take different endings to signal case and number.

See also: Adoption, Estonian language, Estonian grammar, adjectives in Estonian.