Vähkideks

Vähkideks is the Estonian translative plural form of the noun vähk. In Estonian grammar, the translative case expresses a change of state or identity, often translated as “into …” or “as ….” The form vähkideks therefore denotes becoming or being regarded as multiple instances of the noun vähk in its plural sense.

The base word vähk has two common meanings in Estonian: cancer (the disease) and crab (the crustacean). Because of these two senses, the interpretation of vähkideks depends on context. In medical or scientific writing it could theoretically indicate a change into a cancerous state when paired with appropriate verbs and surrounding terminology, whereas in zoological or colloquial contexts it could signal a transition into or identification with crabs, again depending on how the sentence is constructed. In everyday speech, a usage like vähkideks is rare and the translative plural form is more typically encountered in grammars, dictionaries, or literary examples illustrating case inflection rather than in ordinary conversation.

In summary, vähkideks is a grammatical form used to express a transformation into a state or an identity associated with the noun vähk, with its exact interpretation guided by context and sense of the word vähk being used. It highlights how Estonian marks changes of state through the translative case, particularly in the plural when the noun is treated as a collective or multiple units.