Korterisse

Korterisse is an Estonian illative form of the noun korter, meaning apartment. It is used to express movement into an apartment or into a housing unit, indicating direction toward the interior of a building.

In Estonian, the illative case marks destination or goal of a motion verb. Korterisse specifically answers “into the apartment.” It is typically used with verbs of motion such as liikuma, minema, või lükkama, and with sentences where the speaker indicates going inside. The standard construction is subject + verb of motion + korterisse. For example: Ma lähen korterisse. (I am going into the apartment.) Ta astus korterisse ja kõndis ruumi läbi. (She stepped into the apartment and walked through the room.)

Korterisse contrasts with korteris, the inessive form meaning “in the apartment,” which denotes location rather than movement. It also contrasts with korterist, the elative form meaning “out of the apartment.” The illative form is formed by adding the illative suffix -sse to the stem korter, yielding korterisse.

The concept is part of the broader Estonian case system, which uses different endings to indicate location, direction, and other relational meanings. Korterisse is commonly used in everyday speech to specify coming or going into a particular apartment and is generally understood across dialects of Estonian.