üldmääre

üldmääre is an Estonian grammatical term referring to a genitive modifier. It is a word in the genitive case that describes or modifies another noun in the sentence. The üldmääre typically answers questions like "whose?" or "of what?". For example, in the sentence "Poisi raamat" (the boy's book), "poisi" is the üldmääre, indicating possession.

This type of modifier is very common in Estonian and is used to express a variety of relationships between nouns. These relationships can include possession, origin, material, or even a part-whole relationship. For instance, "puust laud" (a wooden table) uses the genitive "puust" to indicate the material of the table. Similarly, "linna keskus" (the city center) uses the genitive "linna" to show that the center belongs to the city.

The üldmääre agrees in case with the noun it modifies, although in standard Estonian grammar, it is generally understood that the üldmääre itself is in the genitive case, and the head noun it modifies can be in various cases depending on its grammatical function in the sentence. Understanding the function and formation of the üldmääre is crucial for comprehending Estonian sentence structure and possessive relationships.