Sidussõnu

Sidussõnu is a term used in linguistics to refer to subordinate clauses that are grammatically dependent on a main clause. These clauses cannot stand alone as a complete sentence and serve to provide additional information, context, or modification to the main idea. They are often introduced by subordinating conjunctions such as "et," "kui," "kui et," "et kui," "sest," "et see," "mis," "kes," "kus," "kui," and relative pronouns.

In Estonian grammar, sidussõnu can function in various ways within a sentence. They can act as adverbial clauses, specifying time, place, cause, condition, purpose, or concession. For example, "Ma lähen välja, et jalutada" (I'm going out to take a walk) features an adverbial clause of purpose introduced by "et." They can also function as noun clauses, substituting for a noun phrase and acting as the subject, object, or complement of the main verb. An example would be "Ma tean, et sa tuled" (I know that you are coming), where "et sa tuled" acts as the direct object of "tean." Furthermore, sidussõnu can function as adjectival clauses, modifying a noun in the main clause, similar to relative clauses in English. "See on raamat, mida ma lugesin" (This is the book that I read) includes an adjectival clause introduced by the relative pronoun "mida." The correct identification and analysis of sidussõnu are crucial for understanding complex sentence structures and accurately interpreting meaning in Estonian.