Loeme

Loeme is the first-person plural present tense form of the Estonian verb lugema, meaning “to read.” It translates to “we read” in English and is used when the subject is the group including the speaker. In Estonian, verbs are conjugated for person and number, so loeme is one of the standard present-tense forms of lugema. Other present-tense forms include ma loen (I read), sa loed (you read), ta loeb (he/she reads), te loete (you read), and nad loevad (they read).

Etymology and cognates: Lugema belongs to the Finnic branch of the Uralic language family. It is cognate with Finnish lukea, reflecting a shared Finnic origin for the verb “to read.” The form loeme fits the regular Estonian pattern for the first-person plural present tense, paired with the subject marker me.

Usage: Loeme is used for ordinary statements about reading activity by a group. It can appear in educational settings, literature, reporting, or everyday conversation. In some contexts, the same form can function in an inclusive exhortation, as in “Loeme koos!” meaning “Let us read together.”

Examples:

- Me loeme raamatut. (We read a book.)

- Me loeme iga päev. (We read every day.)

- Loeme järgmised leheküljed. (Let us read the next pages.)

- Loeme koos! (Let us read together.)