põhilausest

Põhilausest is an Estonian grammatical term referring to the main clause of a sentence. In Estonian grammar, a complex sentence is typically composed of at least one põhilausest and one or more kõrvalausest (subordinate clauses). The põhilausest contains the core meaning of the sentence and can stand alone as a complete thought. It is the independent part of the sentence, from which the subordinate clauses are dependent.

The põhilausest usually includes a subject and a predicate, though in certain contexts, one of these may be omitted if it is clearly understood from the surrounding text or the grammatical structure. For example, in the sentence "Ma lähen koju, sest ma olen väsinud" (I am going home because I am tired), "Ma lähen koju" is the põhilausest. It expresses a complete idea. "sest ma olen väsinud" is a kõrvalausest, providing the reason for the action in the põhilausest.

Understanding the distinction between põhilausest and kõrvalausest is crucial for analyzing sentence structure and comprehending the relationships between different parts of a complex sentence in Estonian. The põhilausest forms the foundation upon which the rest of the sentence is built, providing the primary assertion or statement.