Esimest

Esimest is an Estonian word form that functions as the partitive singular of the ordinal adjective esimene, meaning "first." In Estonian, adjectives decline for case and number, but not gender; esimest appears when the noun it modifies is in the partitive case. This form is most commonly seen with nouns in phrases such as esimest korda (for the first time) and esimest raamatut (the first book).

Usage and examples help illustrate its role. For example, Ma lugesin esimest raamatut means “I read the first book,” with raamat being the noun in the partitive singular. Esimest korda is a fixed expression meaning “for the first time” and is widely used across contexts to mark the initial occurrence of an action. Because Estonian has no grammatical gender, esimest works uniformly with nouns in the partitive singular without gender agreement.

Etymology and related forms. Esimest derives from the base adjective esimene, meaning first. It is closely related to cognates in other Finnic languages, such as Finnish ensimmäinen, reflecting common Finno-Ugric roots for ordinal numerals. The Estonian system uses various inflected forms of esimene to align with the case and number requirements of the noun it modifies.

See also: Estonian grammar, Estonian adjectives, Estonian numerals, Partitive case.