rääkida

Rääkida is an Estonian verb meaning "to tell" or "to speak." It is used to convey relaying information, narrating events, or speaking about topics. The verb covers both telling someone something directly and discussing or describing topics in general.

Usage and valence: Rääkida is transitive and commonly takes a direct object, as in rääkida midagi (to tell something) or rääkida kellelegi midagi (to tell someone something). It can also be followed by a prepositional phrase indicating the topic, such as rääkida millestki (to talk about something). When reporting speech, rääkida is used with subordinate clauses introduced by et (that), as in Ta ütles, et ta tuleb (He said that he will come). Phrases like rääkida tõtt (to tell the truth) and rääkida juttu (to chat, to tell stories casually) are common.

Conjugation and forms: The present tense forms are ma räägin, sa räägid, ta räägib, me räägime, te räägite, nad räägivad. Simple past forms are ma rääkisin, sa rääkisid, ta rääkis, me rääkisime, te rääkisite, nad rääkisid. The perfect (have told) is formed with olema: olen rääkinud, oled rääkinud, on rääkinud, oleme rääkinud, olete rääkinud, on rääkinud. Imperative forms include räägi (you singular), rääkige (you plural), rääkigem (let’s tell). The verbal noun is rääkimine (speaking, telling).

Examples: Ma rääkisin sulle ühe loo. Ta rääkis mulle, mis juhtus. Me peame täna tõtt rääkima. Rääkida is a basic, widely used verb in everyday Estonian and appears in formal and informal contexts, from storytelling to reporting conversations.