Sajandisse

Sajandisse is the illative case form of the Estonian noun sajand, meaning "century." As an illative, it expresses movement or direction into a time period, so sajandisse can be understood as "into the century" or "into a century," depending on context.

In Estonian grammar, the illative is formed with the suffix -sse. When attached to the noun sajand, this yields sajandisse, the standard spoken and written form for indicating entering or entering into a century in time-related expressions.

Usage of sajandisse occurs mainly in historical, literary, and academic prose. It is less common in everyday speech, where speakers typically rely on broader references to time periods rather than explicit illative constructions. The form is especially relevant in discussions of transitions between centuries, long-term historical narratives, or stylistic descriptions that emphasize entering a new era.

Scholarly and reference works on Estonian grammar often illustrate illative forms as part of explaining how direction toward time is encoded morphologically. Sajandisse exemplifies how time-oriented motion is expressed by a dedicated case suffix, mirroring similar patterns used for other time-related nouns in Estonian.

See also: Estonian grammar, illative case, sajand.