väljade

Väljade is the genitive plural form of the Estonian noun väli, meaning a field, open space, or agricultural plot. It is used when speaking about more than one field in a possessive or relational sense. For example, väljade suurus translates as “the size of the fields,” and väljade piirid as “the borders of the fields.” The nominative plural is väljad, and the singular genitive form is välja. In grammar, väljade represents a regular genitive plural ending -de that follows väli in the Estonian noun declension.

Usage and occurrence: In ordinary Estonian, väljade appears most often in geographic, agricultural, or land-use contexts—on maps, planning documents, property descriptions, and countryside descriptions. It can also appear in literary text to evoke rural landscapes or to refer to multiple fields collectively. As a genitive plural, it typically modifies a following noun, as in väljade piirid (the borders of the fields) or väljade mõju (the influence of the fields).

Etymology and grammar: Väli is of Finnic origin, with cognates across Finnic languages. The genitive plural form väljade is the standard inflection used to denote possession or relation to several fields. The form contrasts with the nominative plural väljad and the singular genitive välja, reflecting Estonian’s regular pattern for noun declension in this stem class.