külas

Külas is an Estonian word used to describe being at someone’s home or visiting someone. It is derived from the noun küla, meaning village, but in everyday language it functions as a social expression rather than a literal place. The word appears in phrases that convey a visit or presence at another person’s residence.

In usage, külas indicates a state of being at a host’s location or engaging in a visit. For example, sentences such as “Ma olen külas” mean “I am visiting / I am at someone’s place.” “Käisime külas” translates to “We went to visit” or “We visited someone.” The expression is common in informal speech and reflects the social habit of visiting family and friends. It can also appear in responses to questions about where someone is, for instance, “Kus sa oled?” followed by “Külas,” meaning “I’m at (someone’s) place.”

Külas should be distinguished from küla, which means “village,” and from külastada or külastus, which are the verb and noun forms referring to the act of visiting more formally. The adverbial form külas emphasizes the visit itself rather than a geographic location, and it is often used in everyday conversation to convey hospitality and social gathering.

See also: küla (village); külastama (to visit); külaline (guest); külalised (guests).