Mõlemast

Mõlemast is an Estonian grammatical form used to express “from both (of two)” and functions as a determiner that precedes a noun in the elative case. It is formed from the pronoun mõlemad (both) with the elative suffix -st, creating a fixed premodifier that signals origin, selection, or distribution involving two items.

In use, mõlemast precedes a noun that is in the elative case, and the noun itself carries the appropriate inflection. For example, mõlemast raamatust means “from both books,” and mõlemast variandist means “from both variants.” The construction is common in formal and written Estonian, as well as in spoken language, whenever the speaker wants to refer to both of two referenced items.

Grammatically, mõlemast does not take its own inflections beyond the elative relationship it establishes with the following noun phrase. It is typically contrasted with related expressions such as mõlemad (both) used without a following noun, or other case forms like mõlemale (to both) or mõlemast, depending on the sentence’s directional or locational meaning.

Examples illustrate its range:

- Mõlemast raamatust leidsin huvitava ideed. (From both books I found a interesting idea.)

- Ta võttis mõlemast joogist viimist lahenduse. (He took from both drinks a solution.)

- Mõlemast variandist saab paremini aru, kui võrrelda tulemusi. (From both variants one can understand better by comparing the results.)

Mõlemast is a concise, specific tool for referencing dual sources, and it remains a standard part of Estonian nominal syntax. See also Estonian grammar and pronouns.