niisugune

Niisugune is an Estonian demonstrative determiner meaning “such” or “that kind of.” It introduces or characterizes a noun by its quality or category, often referring to something already mentioned or understood from context. The form is built from nii- (so) and sugune (kind, type), and it behaves as an attributive adjective that agrees with the noun in number and case.

In practice, the basic forms include: nominative singular niisugune; genitive singular niisuguse; partitive singular niisugust; nominative plural niisugused; genitive plural niisuguste; partitive plural niisuguseid. Examples: niisugune inimene (such a person); niisugused inimesed (such people); ta on niisugune inimene (he is such a person). See on niisugune olukord (This is such a situation).

Usage notes: niisugune can be used both attributively and predicatively with the verb olema (to be). It often appears with various cases to express meanings such as “of such a kind” or “such people” (niisuguse inimese, niisugust inimest, niisuguseid inimesi).

Relation to other demonstratives: niisugune is closely related to selline; speakers may choose between them to convey nuance. In general, niisugune tends to describe a category or quality in a broader or described sense, while selline can be used for a more concrete or immediately present referent. Both are standard in Estonian and commonly found in speech and writing. See also: selline.

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