Kõrvalolevad

Kõrvalolevad is a Estonian adjective meaning adjacent or neighboring, used to describe things that are located next to or near another reference point. The word is formed from the spatial element kõrv (side, beside) combined with the participial suffix -olev, indicating a state of being. The standard form used with plural nouns is kõrvalolevad (for example, kõrvalolevad ruumid = adjacent rooms). The corresponding singular forms are kõrvalolev (nominative) and kõrvaloleva (genitive, partitive, and other cases), with the adjective agreeing in number and case with the noun it modifies.

Usage of kõrvalolevad is common in planning, architecture, geography, and legal descriptions to specify proximity. For instance, kõrvalolevad alad can refer to parcels or zones that lie beside a designated area, while kõrvalolevad hooned describes buildings that sit next to another structure. In maps and diagrams, the term helps indicate spatial relationships and adjacency.

In linguistic practice, kõrvalolevad is typically interchangeable with külgnevad in everyday language, though nuances may differ: kõrvalolevad can emphasize immediate proximity or direct adjacency, while külgnevad more broadly indicates bordering or touching sides. Both forms function as attributive adjectives preceding a noun and inflect according to Estonian grammar.

See also terms related to space and relation, such as naabrus (neighborhood) and külgnevus (bordering), which contextualize adjacency in geography, planning, and design.