imiseks

The suffix -miseks is an Estonian grammatical suffix used to form nouns that express the purpose of an action, roughly translating to "for doing X" or "in order to do X" in English. It attaches to the infinitive form of a verb to create a non-finite nominal expression that indicates intent or use.

Formation and examples: The -miseks form is produced by turning a verb into a purpose-oriented noun. Common examples include lugemiseks (for reading), õppimiseks (for studying), and kasutamiseks (for use). In sentences, these forms typically specify the intended function of an object, action, or document. Examples: See juhend on mõeldud lugemiseks (This manual is intended for reading). Kasutamiseks vajutage nuppu (For use, press the button). Õppimiseks on olemas uus kursus (There is a new course for studying).

Usage and function: The -miseks form is widespread in instructional writing, product labels, user guides, and formal prose where the author needs to state the purpose clearly. It answers the question "milleks?" (for what purpose?). The construction is stand-alone enough to function within sentences without requiring additional relative clauses.

Relation to other forms: -miseks is part of a broader set of purpose-oriented nominalizations in Estonian. It contrasts with other non-finite forms that indicate aspect, such as the gerundive or noun forms ending in -mine, which designate the act itself rather than its purpose. In many contexts, -amiseks can replace longer explanations that would otherwise use "et" clauses to express intention.

See also: Estonian verb-derived nouns; purpose expressions; instructional language.