päevaga

Päevaga is an Estonian grammatical form representing the instrumental case of the noun päev (day). It is formed by adding the instrumental suffix -ga to the genitive singular päeva, resulting in päevaga. This construction expresses instrument or means by which an action is performed, and, less commonly, accompaniment.

In practice, the instrumental form with day is relatively rare in everyday modern Estonian and is more likely to be found in poetic, archaic, or historical texts. The more common way to indicate means or accompaniment with a day would be through other phrases or prepositional expressions, depending on the exact nuance. Päevaga illustrates how Estonian derives instrumental forms by attaching -ga to the genitive stem of a noun.

The concept of päevaga sits within the broader Estonian system of instrumental forms, which are created by combining the genitive form of a noun with the suffix -ga to indicate instrument or means. Other nouns follow the same pattern, producing forms such as käe-ga (with the hand) or noaga (with a knife) in similar constructions. Päevaga thus serves as a classic example of this grammatical process and is primarily of interest in discussions of historical usage, grammar, and stylistic variation rather than frequent contemporary speech.