opilane

Opilane is a term that can designate a person who studies or is enrolled in an educational program. In standard Estonian, the word for a student in a school setting is õpilane, and the plural is õpilased. The form opilane appears mainly as a variant spelling found in texts that omit diacritical marks or in historical or non-Estonian contexts. In contemporary usage it is not the preferred form for school students in Estonian.

In the Estonian education system, different terms distinguish levels of study. Õpilane refers to pupils in basic and secondary education. Üliõpilane is used for university students. The word õppija is a broader term for a learner, including individuals who are learning outside formal schooling. These distinctions reflect the typical progression from primary education through secondary education to higher education.

Morphologically, if opilane is encountered, it would typically follow standard Estonian patterns for pluralization and inflection, for example opilane in singular and opilased in plural. However, because the standard vocabulary prefers õpilane, opilane is rarely used in formal contexts today.

Related terms include õpilane, üliõpilane, and õppija, which collectively cover school pupils, university students, and general learners. The choice among them depends on the educational level and the formality of the context.