comitatiivist

Comitatiivist, or comitative, is a grammatical category that marks accompaniment. It expresses that another participant accompanies the subject in the action or is involved together with the subject. In many languages the comitative relation is encoded with a dedicated case or a postpositional element, while in others it is expressed by prepositions or clitics.

In Estonian grammar, the comitative relation is typically realized with a postpositional clitic that attaches to the genitive form of a noun or pronoun. The common Estonian comitative forms include minuga (with me), sinuga (with you), temaga (with him/her), meiega (with us), teiega (with you all), and nendega (with them). The form often morphologically blends with the surrounding noun and may show assimilation at word boundaries. The comitative is distinct from the instrumental in that it foregrounds accompanying presence rather than the means by which an action is performed; however, some languages merge these functions.

Usage examples:

- Ma tulen sõbraga. (I am coming with a friend.)

- Kas sa tuled minuga? (Are you coming with me?)

- Ta kohtas õpetajaga. (He/she met with the teacher.)

Cross-linguistically, comitativist realizations vary: some languages have a separate comitative case, others use instrumental or associative constructions, and some rely on particles or prepositions to convey the sense of accompaniment. The term is used in grammar discussions to capture this shared function of marking co-presence in events.