keeles

Keeles is an Estonian noun form derived from keeel meaning language or tongue. In everyday usage, keeles functions as an inflected form that marks the language context of a statement, typically appearing after the name of the language. It is most commonly seen in phrases such as eesti keeles (in Estonian), inglise keeles (in English), and vene keeles (in Russian).

Etymology and grammar notes: keeles comes from the base word keele/keel, and its inflected form is used to indicate that something is expressed or written in a specific language. This construction is a standard feature of Estonian grammar, where language names pair with inflected endings to express linguistic context. Keel itself has forms such as keele (genitive singular) and other case forms, with keeles representing a particular inflected variant used in attributive language phrases.

Usage and function: keeles is widely utilized across education, media, publishing, and daily speech to specify language. It appears in dictionaries, translations, subtitles, and classroom instructions to clarify which language is being referred to. The concept is not limited to formal contexts; it also appears in casual communication when discussing language preference or capability, for example, “Ma räägin eesti keeles” (I speak in Estonian).

Relations: Keeles is related to the root keele/keel and to other language markers such as other language names (eesti, inglise, vene). It is part of a broader set of linguistic expressions in Estonian used to describe language usage, translation, and transcription.

See also: keele, keel, Estonian language, language in Estonian grammar.