Ligikaudseid

Ligikaudseid is an Estonian grammatical form: it is the partitive plural of the adjective ligikaudne, which means approximate or rough. This form is used with a noun in the partitive case to indicate that the quantity, amount, or quality described is not exact. In practice, ligikaudseid appears in contexts where data are rounded, estimates are given, or values are uncertain.

Usage and context

Ligikaudseid commonly occurs in statistics, economics, journalism, and everyday language when presenting rough figures. It often accompanies nouns that denote numbers, measurements, or values, signaling that the figures are estimates rather than precise measurements. For example, ligikaudseid hinnanguid refers to approximate estimates, and ligikaudseid andmeid refers to approximate data. The related adverb ligikaudu means approximately, and ligikaudsem or ligikaudsaim are forms used to compare degrees of approximation.

Grammar notes

Ligikaudseid is a morphological variant that reflects Estonian’s case system: it is the partitive plural form used when the associated noun is in the partitive case after verbs or expressions that call for a non-definite quantity. The base adjective is ligikaudne, and other forms include ligikaudsed (nominative plural) and ligikaudset (partitive singular). The distinction between ligikaudsed and ligikaudseid helps convey whether the noun is definite or indefinite, countable or uncountable, in a specific syntactic role.

See also

Ligikaudne; ligikaudsed; ligikaudset; ligikaudu.