õhtul

Õhtul is an Estonian time expression that means “in the evening” or “during the evening.” It is formed from the noun õhtu (evening) with the adessive case suffix -l, which in Estonian can mark a time or place. The word is routinely used in everyday speech and writing to situate an action within the evening hours.

In usage, õhtul answers the question when something happens. For example, Õhtul ma loen raamatut means “In the evening I read a book.” Ta helistas mulle õhtul means “He called me in the evening.” The form is flexible in sentences and does not change for singular or plural subjects; it functions as a time modifier. A related adverb, õhtuti, expresses a habitual or recurring sense of evenings, as in Ta töötab õhtuti—“He works in the evenings.” Another related form is õhtuks, meaning “by the evening” or “by evening” in the sense of a deadline or completion time.

Etymologically, õhtul derives from õhtu (evening) with the Adessive case suffix -l, which in Estonian often marks location or time expressions. The basic meaning remains stable across contexts, though speakers may use õhtuti for habitual evenings or õhtuks when referring to a deadline.

In contemporary Estonian, õhtul is common in conversation, journalism, and fiction, where indicating the time of events within the evening is routine and unmarked in terms of tense.