tegusõnavormid

Tegusõnavormid refer to the various forms a verb can take in the Estonian language to express different grammatical features. These features include tense, mood, voice, person, and number. Estonian verbs are highly inflected, meaning they change their endings to convey this information.

The primary tenses in Estonian are present and past. The present tense is used for actions happening now or habitually, while the past tense denotes actions completed in the past. Estonian does not have a distinct future tense; the future is typically expressed using the present tense or modal verbs.

Moods indicate the speaker's attitude towards the action. The indicative mood is the most common, stating facts. The imperative mood expresses commands or requests, and the conditional mood suggests hypothetical situations or polite requests. The potential mood, though less common, expresses possibility or ability.

Voice in Estonian verbs distinguishes between active and passive. The active voice indicates that the subject performs the action, while the passive voice shows that the subject is acted upon.

Person and number agreement are crucial. Verbs change their form to match the subject in terms of person (first, second, or third) and number (singular or plural). For example, "ma loen" (I read) differs from "me loeme" (we read).

Understanding these various tegusõnavormid is essential for constructing grammatically correct and nuanced sentences in Estonian. The rich inflectional system allows for precise expression of time, certainty, volition, and the relationship between the actor and the action.