Põhivormiga

Põhivormiga is a term used in Estonian linguistics to refer to the form of a word that is taken as its base or lemma, combined with the instrumental suffix -ga. The word põhivorm itself means base form or lemma and denotes the canonical form that is used as the dictionary entry or citation form for a word. The construction põhivormiga literally means “with the base form,” and it is commonly used when describing or analyzing a word’s forms in grammatical tables or language-learning materials.

In Estonian grammar, the põhivorm serves as the source form from which other inflected forms are derived. For verbs, the base form corresponds to the infinitive, which is the form typically used to cite the verb in dictionaries. For nouns, the base form is usually the singular nominative. For adjectives, the base form is the positive degree form from which other degrees and endings are formed. The exact determination of the põhivorm can vary by part of speech, but it generally functions as the reference form for describing conjugation and declension patterns.

The phrase põhivormiga is most often encountered in instructional or descriptive contexts, such as grammar explanations, lexicographic descriptions, and linguistic analyses. It signals that discussion or analysis is anchored to the base form of the word and its related paradigms. The concept is important for understanding how Estonian word forms are organized and how dictionaries present headwords.