Genitiivsingulaarne

Genitiivsingulaarne, or genitive singular, is one of the grammatical cases in Estonian noun declension. It marks a close relationship between two nouns, most commonly indicating possession or association (for example, the owner of something or the thing of which something is a part). The genitive singular is also used in many fixed expressions and in certain syntactic constructions where possession or attribution is expressed without a possessive suffix on the possessor.

Formation and variation: The form of the genitive singular varies depending on the noun’s stem and declension class. There is no single universal ending; common patterns include endings in -a, -e, -u, or -i, and some nouns have irregular or stem-changing forms. The endings are influenced by vowel harmony and phonological adjustments, and some nouns can have the genitive singular form that closely resembles the nominative singular or other forms. Examples include koer -> koera (dog’s/of the dog), raamat -> raamatu (of the book), laps -> lapse (child’s).

Usage in sentences: The genitive singular is used to express possession, as in koera omanik (the dog’s owner) or raamatu kaas (the book’s cover). It also appears in phrases indicating part-whole relationships, measurements, and in certain prepositional or descriptive contexts. Distinctions from other cases, such as the partitive, are important for meaning—genitive singular often conveys definite possession, while the partitive signals indefiniteness or partial quantity.

In summary, genitiivsingulaarne is a fundamental aspect of Estonian noun grammar, with variable endings that reflect stem class and phonology, and it serves to express ownership, association, and related relations within noun phrases.