Värskelt

Värskelt is an Estonian adverb meaning “freshly” or “recently.” It describes the manner in which an action is performed or the state of something as newly produced or prepared. For example, in the sentence “Toit on värskelt küpsetatud,” the bread is described as freshly baked. Another common use is with news or announcements: “värskelt avaldatud teade” means a recently published notice. The adverb often accompanies past participles or verbs of creation, signaling that the action has just occurred or that the result is new.

Etymology and form: värskelt is formed from the adjective värske, meaning “fresh,” with the adverbial suffix -lt. In Estonian, many adverbs of manner are created this way and are used to modify verbs or verb phrases. The pronunciation is roughly “VAR-skelt,” with the stress typically on the first syllable.

Usage notes: Unlike the adjective värske, which directly describes a noun, värskelt describes the verb’s action or the state resulting from the action. It can appear in phrases such as “värskelt valmistatud” (freshly prepared) or “värskelt küpsetatud leib” (freshly baked bread). The word is common across registers, including cooking, publishing, media, and everyday speech, where it emphasizes immediacy or freshness.

See also: värske (the base adjective meaning fresh), Estonian adverbs, word formation in Estonian.