omistussõnana

Omistussõnana is an Estonian grammatical term referring to possessive suffixes. These suffixes are attached to nouns to indicate possession or ownership. They function similarly to prepositions like "of" or possessive pronouns like "my" or "his" in English, but are integrated directly into the word.

In Estonian, possessive suffixes are added to the noun that is possessed, not the possessor. For example, "maja" means house. To say "my house," one would not say "my maja." Instead, the possessive suffix is attached to "maja" to indicate who owns it. This is a key characteristic of Estonian grammar, which often employs suffixes to convey grammatical relationships that might be expressed by separate words in other languages.

The specific possessive suffix used depends on the person and number of the possessor. There are suffixes for first, second, and third person, and for singular and plural possessors. While the concept of possession is universal, the way it is grammatically marked in Estonian through omistussõnana is a distinctive feature of the language. Understanding these suffixes is crucial for both comprehending and speaking Estonian accurately, as they are integral to forming correct possessive constructions.