Kuritegusid

Kuritegusid is an Estonian grammatical form meaning “crimes” or “criminal acts” in the partitive plural of the noun kuritegu, which is the basic word for a crime or criminal act. The partitive plural kuritegusid is used when the amount of crimes is indefinite or when the crimes are treated as a non-countable or partially specified set. It contrasts with kuriteod, the nominative plural used when crimes are the subject of a sentence, and with kuritegude, the genitive plural used to indicate possession or partitive relationships in different constructions.

In usage, kuritegusid commonly appears with quantifiers such as mitmeid or paar, and with verbs that govern a partitive object. Examples include phrases like mitmeid kuritegusid (many crimes) or teada saanud kuritegusid (crimes that have been learned about). The form is typical in news reporting, legal language, and criminology, where speakers refer to multiple incidents without specifying an exact count.

Estonian grammar distinguishes kuritegusid from related forms: kuritegu (singular) and kuriteod (nominative plural) as well as kuritegude (genitive plural). The choice of form affects syntax and meaning, particularly in how an action is described or quantified.

See also: kuritegu, kuriteod, kuritegevus.