ONENESS - on-line less used and less taught languages http://www.oneness.vu.lt/ee/
This course is created for those who want to start learning Estonian language.
The course aims at forming minimal communicative competence of the target language and at introducing Estonia and its culture.
Ava sisukord
Partitive plural
The partitive plural is formed by adding the endings -id, -sid, or changing the stem vowel at the end.
Usually the markers -id and -sid exclude each other (they usually can not occur as a parallel forms of the same noun). There are some exceptions with one-syllable words. suu > suid, suusid
Also words ending with -ne or -s in the nominative singular are irregular. tööline, töölise, töölist > töölisi, tööliseid haigus, haiguse, haigust > haigusi, haiguseid
Vowel change often occurs as a parallel form to the -sid ending. pesa, pesa, pesa > pesi, pesasid jalg, jala, jalga > jalgu, jalgasid
The stem of gradational words takes the strong grade in the partitive plural. jalg, jala, jalga > jalgu, jalgasid
Ending -sid
One-syllable non-gradational words. krae, krae, kraed > kraesid
Two-syllable non-gradational words with no long or overlong sounds in the stem. ema, ema, ema > emasid meri, mere, merd > meresid nimi, nime, nime > nimesid Two-syllable non-gradational words with long sounds in the stem. roosa, roosa, roosat > roosasid auto, auto, autot > autosid
Two-syllable gradational words with two syllables in the nominative and partitive singular, one syllable in the genitive singular. mägi, mäe, mäge > mägesid nägu, näo, nägu > nägusid
Vowel
Two-syllable non-gradational words with no long or overlong sounds in the stem (the parallel form ending with -sid also used). pesa, pesa, pesa > pesi
Two-syllable gradational words with the weak grade in the genitive singular. kapp, kapi, kappi > kappe lamp, lambi, lampi > lampe kool, kooli, kooli > koole päev, päeva, päeva > päevi arst, arsti, arsti > arste jalg, jala, jalga > jalgu keel, keele, keelt > keeli
Words ending with -ne and -s. eestlane, eestlase, eestlast > eestlasi harjutus, harjutuse, harjutust > harjutusi
Vowel Change
Vowel change in words with the stem ending -a depends on the vowel in the first syllable: 1) when the first syllable contains -a, -õ, -i, -ei, -äi, the partitive plural ends with u vana, vana, vana > vanu sõna, sõna, sõna > sõnu linn, linna, linna > linnu leib, leiva, leiba > leibu väin, väina, väina > väinu
2) In other cases the ending is usually -i. sukk, suka, sukka > sukki koer, koera, koera > koeri rühm, rühma, rühma > rühmi
Vowel change in words with the stem endings e-, i-, and -u in the stem: e > i kuusk, kuuse, kuuske > kuuski i > e pilt, pildi, pilti > pilte u > e põld, põllu, põldu > põlde
Suffixes -lik, -nik, -stik. õnnelik, õnneliku, õnnelikku > õnnelikke kirjanik, kirjaniku, kirjanikku > kirjanikke maastik, maastiku, maastikku > maastikke
Exceptions: 1) -i: pikk, pika, pikka > pikki silm, silma, silma > silmi king, kinga, kinga > kingi
2) -e: tuba, toa, tuba > tube nuga, noa, nuga > nuge uba, oa, uba > ube luba, loa, luba > lube muna, muna, muna > mune
3) käsi, käe, kätt > käsi laps, lapse, last > lapsi mees, mehe, meest > mehi uks, ukse, ust > uksi