suundus

Suundus is the Estonian past tense form of the verb suunduma, meaning to head toward or to set out in a particular direction. It is a finite verb used in the third person singular in narratives or reports to describe someone’s movement in the past.

In use, suundus conveys that a subject moved toward a geographic direction or aimed for a target. It commonly appears together with directional phrases such as poole (toward), or with cardinal directions like põhja, lõuna, ida, and lääs. Examples include Ta suundus põhja poole or Ta suundus lõunasse, both of which translate as He headed north or He headed south, respectively. The form can also appear in compound or extended sentences to indicate a sequence of movements.

Grammatically, suundus is derived from the noun suund, meaning direction or course, via the verb suunduma (to head toward). It is used only as a finite past tense form in third-person singular; corresponding forms exist for other persons and tenses (for example, ma suundusin for “I headed”). The construction is typical of Estonian narrative style and is commonly found in both written and spoken language.

While primarily literal, the sense of suundus can extend to figurative movement toward a goal or plan in some contexts, though the literal directional sense remains most common. Related terms include suund (direction) and suunduma (to head toward).