omastussufiksid

Omastussufiksid are a class of suffixes in Estonian that attach to a noun to indicate possession. They function as an alternative to using possessive adjectives or pronouns (such as minu, sinu, tema, meie, teie, nende) and are used to mark who owns the possessed item directly on the noun.

The suffixes express person and number of the possessor and they attach to the stem of the noun. Their exact shape depends on the noun’s class, the possessor’s person and number, and on phonological processes such as vowel harmony. Because Estonian has a rich inflectional system, the possession suffixes cooperate with the noun’s existing endings and may require phonetic adjustment. In practice, omastussufiksid are most often discussed in traditional grammar as one of several ways to indicate ownership in addition to the use of possessive adjectives.

Usage and variation vary by dialect and register. In everyday standard Estonian, possessive pronouns like minu, sinu, tema, meie, teie, their often serve the common needs for indicating ownership, while omastussufiksid appear more in formal, literary, or dialectal contexts and in older texts. They are also a topic of description in historical and descriptive grammars of Estonian, illustrating how possession can be encoded morphologically on the noun itself rather than through separate words.

In sum, omastussufiksid are Estonian suffixes that mark possession by attaching directly to the possessed noun, reflecting the possessor’s person and number, and they form part of the broader system of how ownership is expressed in the language.