Soov

Soov is an Estonian noun meaning desire, wish, or intention. It denotes a mental state of wanting something or a plan to do something. In everyday language, soob is used to express personal goals and requests, as well as more general longings. It appears in phrases such as minu suur soov on … (my greatest wish is …) and soovi korral (if desired, upon request). The latter is common in public notices, forms, and service contexts to indicate an option or a request that can be granted on demand.

In addition to personal use, soov can refer to a broader aim or motive behind actions, such as a project’s purpose or an organizational goal. The word is versatile across formal and informal styles and can be intensified with modifiers like suur (great/strong) to convey emphatic desire.

Etymology and related terms are typical of Finnic languages; soov shares cognates with related Estonian and Finnic words that express wishing or desiring. Related forms include the verb to advise or recommend derived from the same root, such as soovitama (to recommend) and soovitus (recommendation). These derivatives illustrate how the core concept of wanting or wishing extends into actions and guidance, beyond the noun’s core meaning.

Overall, soov is a core Estonian term for expressing desire or intent and remains a common building block in both everyday speech and more formal communication.