koolilaste

Koolilaste is an Estonian linguistic form derived from kool (school) and laps (child). It is the genitive plural form of koolilaps, the standard word for a child who attends school. In phrases, koolilaste is used to express possession or relation, as in koolilaste raamatud, which translates to the schoolchildren’s books.

Grammar and usage: The base word is koolilaps. Its nominative plural is koolilapsed, genitive singular is koolilapse, and genitive plural is koolilaste. Therefore, koolilaste means “of the schoolchildren” or functions as the genitive plural in attributive phrases. It can appear within constructs that describe characteristics or needs related to the group.

Context and examples: In official statistics, education policy texts, and formal reporting, the term appears in phrases such as koolilaste arv (the number of schoolchildren) and koolilaste vajadused (the needs of schoolchildren). In everyday speech, speakers more commonly use the nominative koolilapsed when referring to the group, while koolilaste is used in genitive phrases or as part of attributive expressions.

See also: Estonian language, Estonian grammar, vocabulary related to education.