Sõnasse

Sõnasse is the illative singular form of the Estonian noun sõna, which means "word." The illative case is used to express movement toward or into something, and in this form it conveys the idea of going into or into the realm of a word, either literally or figuratively.

Morphology and usage notes

- Sõnasse is formed by adding the illative suffix -sse to the noun stem: sõna → sõnasse. The corresponding plural illative form is sõnadesse.

- The illative case is one of the Estonian case endings that indicates direction or transition, and it is commonly used with verbs of motion or with verbs and phrases that describe expressing or transforming something into words.

Common uses and expressions

- Panna sõnasse: this idiom means "to put into words." For example, Ta pani oma mõtted sõnasse translates as "He put his thoughts into words."

- In general, sõnasse is used when speaking about encoding or expressing content verbally, or when describing a movement toward a word or into the concept of a word in a figurative sense.

Related forms and contrasts

- Inessive form (inside the word): sõnas

- Elative form (out of the word): sõnast

- Other illative or allative forms exist for related nouns, forming a network of case endings typical of Estonian noun inflection.

See also

- Estonian grammar

- Illative case

- Word formation in Estonian

Sõnasse serves as an example of how Estonian uses case endings to convey directional meaning, here specifically indicating motion into a word or into words, and it features prominently in idiomatic expressions about expressing thoughts verbally.