Jutumärkidesse

Jutumärkidesse is an Estonian term referring to the use of quotation marks. Quotation marks, known as jutumärgid in Estonian, are punctuation marks used to set off direct quotations, titles of works, and sometimes to indicate irony or special emphasis. There are two main types of quotation marks used in Estonian: the common double quotation marks ("...") and the single quotation marks ('...').

The primary function of jutumärkidesse is to enclose verbatim speech or text. For example, if someone says "Tere," you would write it as Ta ütles: "Tere." Titles of books, films, songs, and other creative works are also typically placed within quotation marks. For instance, "Kevade" is a famous Estonian novel.

Single quotation marks have more specialized uses. They can be employed to denote a quotation within a quotation. If a character in a story says, "She told me, 'I am leaving,'" this would be written in Estonian as Ta ütles: "Ta ütles mulle: 'Ma lähen ära.'" In some contexts, single quotation marks can also be used to highlight a word or phrase to indicate that it is being used in a non-standard or ironic sense, though this is less common than their use for nested quotations. The correct and consistent application of jutumärkidesse is important for clarity and proper grammar in written Estonian.