Haigeks

Haigeks is an Estonian grammatical form, not a standalone verb. It is the translative case of the adjective haige, meaning ill or sick, and is used with certain verbs to express a change of state—specifically the onset or becoming ill.

In practice, haigeks appears most often with the verb saama (to become) or jääma (to stay). The construction haige + translative form expresses that someone has become ill. For example, Ta sai haigeks means He became ill. Ta jäi haigeks means He stayed ill or remained ill. These phrases use haigeks to indicate a transition into the state described by haige.

Haigeks as a form is a grammatical tool rather than an independent lexical item. It does not denote illness by itself; its meaning emerges when paired with verbs that mark change or persistence of state. The common equivalents in English are “to become ill” or “to fall sick,” conveyed through the Estonian translative with haige.

Related terms include haigus (illness or sickness) and haige (ill). Haigeks is part of the broader Estonian system of adjectives in the translative case, which marks the change of state resulting from an action or process.

See also:

- haigus

- haige

- Estonian translative case in adjectives

Note: Haigeks is used in standard Estonian in everyday and medical contexts, primarily in past or narrative statements about a person becoming ill.