lõunast

Lõunast is the elative case form of the Estonian noun lõuna. Lõuna primarily denotes the south direction, and it is used in a variety of phrases to indicate source or origin. As the elative case, lõunast marks movement from a place or point of origin, and it can also appear in expressions that specify the starting point in time or space.

In practical use, lõunast is most common in sentences describing where someone or something comes from. For example, a sentence such as We came from the south would be rendered with lõunast to indicate origin. The form is chosen in accordance with Estonian grammar rules for the elative case, which is one of the local case endings used to express movement away from or out of a location, among other nuanced meanings.

Lõuna has several related forms and derivatives. The base noun can be used in other cases and with adjectives to describe southern aspects, such as lõunane meaning southern. The elative form lõunast interacts with prepositions and other case endings in standard Estonian sentence structure, and it often appears in contexts involving navigation, travel, or descriptions of geographic origin.

Notes on usage: lõunast is not a stand-alone word in isolation but a grammatical form that requires compatible context, typically involving verbs of movement or prepositional phrases that govern origin. When discussing a time-related starting point, phrases like lõunast alates may be used to convey “from noon onward.”