Raamatul

Raamatul is the adessive singular form of the Estonian noun raamat, meaning book. It marks a location on the surface of the book, roughly corresponding to “on the book” in English. The form is used when indicating where something is located relative to a book.

In Estonian grammar, the adessive case is used to express location. For singular nouns ending in a consonant, the adessive suffix -l is attached to the stem, producing raamatul from raamat. The plural adessive form is raamatutel, meaning “on the books.” These forms are distinct from other cases that express possession or subject matter.

Examples: Raamatul on sinine köide. (The book has a blue binding / The binding on the book is blue.) This illustrates the literal sense of location on the surface of the book. In usage, raamatul is typically confined to locational meaning and is not used to express possession; possession is usually conveyed with other constructions, such as the genitive form raamatu (e.g., raamatu kaas “the book’s cover”).

See also: Estonian grammar, Adessive case.