Viibimist

Viibimist is a noun in Estonian meaning stay, sojourn, or the period of staying in a place. It is derived from the verb viibima (to stay or reside) and the nominalizing suffix -imine; the base form is viibimine, with the genitive viibimise and the partitive viibimist. The term covers both temporary presence and longer residence, depending on context.

In everyday use, viibimist denotes the act or duration of staying rather than the act of living long-term. It appears in travel, hospitality, and administrative language, and in legal contexts it often relates to rights, permissions, or limits concerning staying in a country or location. The word is commonly combined with adjectives such as lühiajaline (short-term) and püsiv (long-term or permanent), yielding phrases like lühiajaline viibimine and püsiv viibimine. Other common collocations include viibimise kestus (duration of stay) and viibimine Eestis/viibimine välismaal (stay in Estonia/abroad).

Examples: Ta viibis Eestis kolm nädalat. Tema viibimine Itaalias lõppes hiljuti. These phrases illustrate stay in a place and its duration, distinguishing viibimine from elamine, which emphasizes permanent residence. Viibimist can thus refer to both the time someone spends somewhere and the broader concept of being present at a location.