Küsimsõnad

Küsimsõnad are interrogative words in Estonian, used to form questions. They are essential for eliciting information and play a crucial role in constructing interrogative sentences. The most common küsimsõnad include kes (who), mis (what), kus (where), millal (when), miks (why), kuidas (how), and kumb (which of two).

Kes is used to ask about people. For example, "Kes tuli?" (Who came?). Mis is used to ask about things or abstract concepts. For instance, "Mis sa tegid?" (What did you do?). Kus refers to a location. A typical question is "Kus sa elad?" (Where do you live?). Millal inquires about time, as in "Millal rong väljub?" (When does the train leave?). Miks seeks a reason or explanation, e.g., "Miks sa nutad?" (Why are you crying?). Kuidas asks about the manner or way something is done, such as "Kuidas see käib?" (How does this work?). Kumb is used when choosing between two options, like "Kumb on sinu?" (Which one is yours?).

These interrogative words are typically placed at the beginning of a sentence to signal a question. They can be declined, similar to other Estonian nouns and pronouns, depending on their grammatical function within the sentence. Understanding and correctly using küsimsõnad is fundamental for effective communication in Estonian, enabling speakers to seek and provide information accurately.