Lihtsates

Lihtsates is an inflected form of the Estonian adjective lihtne, which means "simple" or "easy." Specifically, lihtsates is the plural inessive form, used to indicate being "in" or "within" simple things, conditions or situations. It commonly appears before a plural noun to express location, state or circumstance (for example, lihtsates tingimustes — "in simple conditions").

Grammatical role and formation

Lihtsates is formed from the adjective stem by adding the plural inessive ending, a pattern used across Estonian adjectives to mark "in/within" for plural referents. As an adjectival form, it agrees with the noun it modifies in number and case and is used in contexts where the relationship corresponds to the English preposition "in" applied to plural nouns.

Usage and examples

The form appears in everyday descriptions of environments, circumstances or categories that are plural and characterized as simple or uncomplicated. Example: lihtsates oludes on protsess kiirem — "in simple conditions the process is faster." It is also used in idiomatic or technical expressions where the notion of being "within simple X" is relevant.

Related forms

Other related forms of the lemma lihtne include the nominative plural lihtsad, genitive plural lihtsate, and partitive plural lihtsaid. Lihtsates is one of several case-inflected variants used to convey grammatical relations in Estonian.