küsisime

Küsisime is an Estonian verb form meaning “we asked.” It is the past tense, indicative mood, of the verb küsima, which means “to ask.” It is used when the subject is the first-person plural (we) and the action occurred in the past.

Formation and grammar: For regular -ima verbs, the present tense first-person plural is küsime (we ask). The corresponding past tense form is küsisime (we asked). The form is built from the verb stem küs- with the past-tense ending -sime. This pattern mirrors the general past-tense conjugation for 1st person plural in Estonian.

Usage: Küsisime appears in narrative or reported speech to describe questions posed in the past. It can be followed by a direct question or a subordinate clause introduced with kas or other conjunctions. Examples include: “Me küsisime õpetajalt, kas eksam on homme” (We asked the teacher whether the exam is tomorrow) and “Me küsisime, mis kell rong väljub” (We asked what time the train leaves).

Etymology and cognates: The verb küsima is cognate with Finnish kysyä; both descend from a common Proto-Finnic root meaning “to ask.” The form küsisime shares the same root and the standard Estonian past-tense ending for 1st-person plural.

See also: küsima; Finnish kysyä.