tuttavaid

Tuttavaid is the Estonian plural partitive form of the noun tuttav, meaning an acquaintance or a familiar person. It is used when the object of a verb is indefinite or partitive in quantity, typically after numerals or other quantifiers, or in clauses describing encounters with several people one knows.

Form and usage: Tuttavaid functions as a partitive object in sentences. It is formed by adding the plural partitive ending -vaid to the stem tuttav. In practice, tuttavaid appears in contexts such as "Ma kohtasin mõningaid tuttavaid" (I met some acquaintances) or "Nägin tuttavaid taas üritusel" (I saw acquaintances again at the event). The form helps convey that the exact number is not fixed or that the reference is non-specific.

Etymology and related forms: Tuttavaid derives from tuttav, a word for someone known or familiar. The related forms include the nominative plural tuttavad (acquaintances) and the genitive plural tuttavate, which shows the normal Estonian noun case system. The partitive plural tuttavaid is principally used when the object is not definite or is described with quantity words.

See also: tuttav, tuttavad, tuttavate.

Notes: In everyday Estonian, tuttavaid appears most often with quantifiers or in perfective/perceptual constructions where the object is not precisely specified. As with other Estonian partitive forms, correct usage depends on the surrounding numerals, verbs, and sentence structure.