Nimetussõnad

Nimetussõnad, also known as nouns in English, are a fundamental part of the Estonian language. They are words that represent people, places, things, or ideas. In Estonian grammar, nimetussõnad are characterized by their ability to decline, meaning they change their form depending on their grammatical function within a sentence. This declension involves changes in case and number.

Estonian has a rich system of grammatical cases, with fourteen cases in total. Each case serves a specific purpose, indicating the role of the noun in relation to other words in the sentence. For example, the nominative case is typically used for the subject, while the genitive case often indicates possession. The accusative case is used for direct objects, and the dative case marks indirect objects. Other cases, such as the partitive, inessive, elative, illative, adessive, allative, ablative, translative, terminative, and essive, further refine the meaning and function of the noun.

Nouns in Estonian also inflect for number, distinguishing between singular and plural. The plural is formed by adding specific suffixes to the stem of the noun, and these suffixes can vary depending on the declension class of the noun. Understanding the declension of nimetussõnad is crucial for constructing grammatically correct Estonian sentences and for comprehending the nuances of the language.