Ööbida

ööbida is an Estonian verb meaning to stay the night or to spend the night, typically away from home, at a lodging such as a hotel, guesthouse, or the home of a friend or relative. It emphasizes a temporary overnight stay rather than merely sleeping.

Usage and nuances: The term is commonly used in travel, hospitality, and social visits. It describes arranging lodging for a night and implies staying somewhere overnight rather than returning home the same evening. In standard usage, the location where the night is spent is identified by the place in the inessive case (the form used for “in” a place), such as a hotel or a friend’s house.

Conjugation and forms: Ööbida follows regular Estonian verb conjugation patterns, allowing expression across present, past, and future tenses, as well as different persons and numbers. The verb can be used with various subjects to indicate that someone spent or will spend a night at a particular location.

Etymology: The word is native Estonian, formed from öö meaning night, with the verb-forming suffix -bida. It reflects a common way Estonian builds verbs related to time-specific activities.

See also: veeta ööd (to spend the night), magama (to sleep), travel and hospitality contexts.