nimisõnal

Nimisõnal, in Estonian grammar, refers to the nominal word class and to elements that function as nouns in a sentence. It encompasses nouns, proper nouns, and pronouns that can act as the head of a noun phrase. Nimisõnal forms are typically inflected for number and case and serve as the main referents in clauses, for example as subjects, objects or predicative complements.

The nominal group is built around a noun or pronoun and often includes modifiers such as adjectives, numerals, demonstratives, or possessive forms. In Estonian, nominals carry information about number (singular or plural) and case, and they can combine with other words to form noun phrases that express quantity, definiteness, possession, and other attributes. Proper nouns refer to specific entities, while common nouns denote general concepts.

Nominalization is a prominent process in Estonian grammar, enabling verbs or other word classes to become nominals. This is commonly done with suffixes like -mine, yielding words such as lugemine (reading) or kirjutamine (writing). Nominalized forms can function as subjects or objects within sentences, expanding the range of possible syntactic constructions.

Nominals contrast with other word classes such as verbs and adjectives in terms of syntactic behavior and inflection. Verbs carry tense and mood, while adjectives typically modify nominals. Nevertheless, nominals interact with these classes in complex ways, for example when adjectives modify nominals or when pronouns substitute for nouns in discourse.

See also: nimisõna; nimisõnaline; nominalization.