küsida

Küsida is an Estonian verb meaning "to ask" or "to request information." It is used to pose questions, request permission, or seek advice. The verb is transitive and appears in both direct questions and indirect inquiries, making it one of the most common verbs in everyday Estonian.

Grammatical overview: küsida forms like many Estonian verbs, with present tense kü sin, küsid, küsib, küsime, küsite, küsivad. The past tense forms include küsisin, küsisid, küsis, küsisime, küsisite, küsisid. The perfect with the auxiliary olema uses olen küsinud, oled küsinud, on küsinud, oleme küsinud, olete küsinud, on küsinud. Imperative forms are küsi (singular) and küsige (plural). The conditional mood exists as well, with forms such as küsiksin and küsiksid, used to express hypothetical or polite situations. The verb is commonly combined with direct objects or with its indirect objects (e.g., kellelt or millega) to specify whom one asks or what is asked for.

Usage and examples: küsida is versatile for both factual questions and requests. Example sentences include: Ma küsin temalt, mis kell on. (I ask him what time it is.) Ta küsis nõu. (He asked for advice.) Kellelt sa küsid tema telefoninumbri? (From whom are you asking for his phone number?)

Etymology and cognates: küsida is Cognate with Finnish kysyä (to ask). Both derive from a shared Finnic root. The related noun for a question in Estonian is küsimus. This word choice and its inflections reflect typical Finnic verb patterns, making küsida a foundational verb for everyday inquiry and communication.