laienduvad

Laienduvad, also known as "expanding" in English, refers to a type of word in the Estonian language that changes its form to indicate grammatical categories such as case, number, or tense. These words are characterized by their ability to expand or lengthen their form to convey additional information. For instance, the Estonian word "kodu" (home) can expand to "kodus" (in the home) or "kodust" (from the home) to indicate different cases.

Laienduvad words are a fundamental aspect of the Estonian language's morphology, which is rich in inflectional endings. This feature allows Estonian to express complex grammatical relationships without relying heavily on word order or additional words. For example, the word "õpilane" (student) can expand to "õpilasest" (from the student) or "õpilaseks" (to the student) to indicate various cases and functions.

The use of laienduvad words is essential for maintaining the clarity and precision of communication in Estonian. By expanding their forms, words can convey specific meanings and relationships, making the language both flexible and expressive. This morphological richness is a key characteristic of the Estonian language and contributes to its unique identity.