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<div class="pg_page_title">Standard Estonian Grammar - How to Ask Questions</div>
<div class="pg_page_title">Standard Estonian Grammar - Questions</div>
Hi Standard Estonian learners! 😊<br>In today's lesson, we will be discussing how to ask questions in Standard Estonian. Asking questions is an important part of any language, and it can be tricky to get the grammar right. But don't worry, by the end of this lesson you'll have a good understanding of how to ask questions in Standard Estonian.  
 
Hi [https://polyglotclub.com/language/standard-estonian Standard Estonian] learners! 😊<br>In this lesson, we will focus on asking questions in Standard Estonian.
 
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== Basic Question Structure ==


The basic structure for asking questions in Standard Estonian is quite simple. All you need to do is add the word 'kas' at the beginning of the sentence. For example:
<span link>Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Alphabet-and-Pronunciation|Standard Estonian Grammar → Introduction to Estonian → Alphabet ...]], [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Cases-and-pronouns|Introduction to Estonian grammar ...]], [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Nouns|Nouns]] & [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Conjunctions|Conjunctions]].</span>
== Basic question pattern ==
To form a basic question in Standard Estonian, you can either use intonation or add a question word at the beginning of the sentence.  


* Kas sa oled hea? (Are you good?)
=== Using intonation ===
* Kas ta on sõber? (Is he a friend?)
To form a question with intonation, you simply raise your voice at the end of the sentence. For example:


This is the most basic way to ask questions in Standard Estonian, but there are other ways as well.  
* Sina oled eestlane. (You are Estonian.)
* Sina oled eestlane? (Are you Estonian?)


=== Yes/No Questions ===
=== Using question words ===
Question words are words that begin a question. In English, examples of question words are "what", "where", "who", etc. In Standard Estonian, some examples of question words are "kes" (who), "mis" (what), "kuidas" (how), "millal" (when), "kus" (where), and "miks" (why). For example:


Yes/no questions are questions that can be answered with either a yes or a no. To form a yes/no question in Standard Estonian, you need to use the word 'küsimus'. For example:
* Kes sa oled? (Who are you?)
* Mis su lemmiktoit on? (What is your favorite food?)
* Kuidas sul läheb? (How are you?)
* Millal sa tulekul oled? (When are you coming?)
* Kus sa elad? (Where do you live?)
* Miks sa nii arvad? (Why do you think so?)


* Küsimus: Kas sa oled hea? (Question: Are you good?)
Note that in Standard Estonian, the word order remains the same in both affirmative and negative sentences. For example, "Sa saad aru" (You understand) becomes "Sa saad aru?" (Do you understand?) and "Sa ei saa aru" (You don't understand) becomes "Sa ei saa aru?" (Don't you understand?)  
* Küsimus: Kas ta on sõber? (Question: Is he a friend?)


You can also use the word 'küsida' to form yes/no questions. For example:  
== Word order in questions ==
When forming a question with a question word, the word order in the sentence changes. The question word comes first, followed by the verb, then the subject, and the rest of the sentence. For example:


* Küsida: Kas sa oled hea? (Ask: Are you good?)
{| class="wikitable"
* Küsida: Kas ta on sõber? (Ask: Is he a friend?)
! Standard Estonian !! Pronunciation !! English
|-
| Kus sa elad? || ['kus sa 'elad] || Where do you live?
|-
| Mis juhtus? || ['mis 'jux.tus] || What happened?
|-
| Kuidas sul läheb? || ['kui.das sul 'læ.heb] || How are you?
|}


=== Wh-Questions ===
Note that if the verb is "olema" (to be), the question word comes before the verb. For example: "Kes sa oled?" (Who are you?)


Wh-questions are questions that start with a wh-word such as 'who', 'what', 'when', 'where', 'why', or 'how'. To form a wh-question in Standard Estonian, you need to use the word 'mis'. For example:
== Dialogue ==
* Person 1: Millal on sinu sünnipäev? (When is your birthday?)
* Person 2: Minu sünnipäev on 17. juunil. (My birthday is on June 17th.)
* Person 1: Kus sa õpid? (Where do you study?)
* Person 2: Ma õpin Tartu Ülikoolis. (I study at Tartu University.)


* Mis on sinu nimi? (What is your name?)
== More complex questions ==
* Mis on tema vanus? (What is his age?)
In Standard Estonian, you can also form more complex questions by using different sentence structures. For example:


You can also use the word 'küsida' to form wh-questions. For example:  
=== Indirect questions ===
Indirect questions are questions that are embedded in a statement. They are introduced by certain verbs, such as "tahaksin teada" (I would like to know), "ei tea" (I don't know), or "küsima" (to ask). The word order in an indirect question is the same as in a normal question. For example:


* Küsida: Mis on sinu nimi? (Ask: What is your name?)
* Ma ei tea, millal ta siia tuleb. (I don't know when he will come here.)
* Küsida: Mis on tema vanus? (Ask: What is his age?)
* Kas sa oskad öelda, kus see asub? (Can you tell me where it is?)
* Tahaksin teada, mida sa arvad sellest ideest. (I would like to know what you think about this idea.)


=== Tag Questions ===
=== Tag questions ===
Tag questions are questions that are added at the end of a sentence to confirm or emphasize the statement. In Standard Estonian, tag questions are formed by adding "-kas" or "-eks" at the end of the sentence. For example:


Tag questions are questions that are added to the end of a statement. To form a tag question in Standard Estonian, you need to use the word 'ei'. For example:
* Sa tuled, eks? (You're coming, right?)
* Sa oled Eesti kodanik, kas pole? (You're an Estonian citizen, aren't you?)
* See on õige, eks? (That's correct, isn't it?)


* Sa oled hea, ei? (You are good, right?)
== Cultural notes ==
* Ta on sõber, ei? (He is a friend, right?)
- In Estonian culture, it is considered polite to wait for a pause in the conversation before asking a question. Interrupting someone while they are speaking is considered rude.
- Estonian has a unique personal pronoun system. Instead of "he" and "she", Estonian uses gender-neutral pronouns "tema" and "ta".


You can also use the word 'küsida' to form tag questions. For example:  
To improve your [[Language/Standard-estonian|Standard Estonian]] [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar|Grammar]], you can also use the [https://polyglotclub.com Polyglot Club] website. [https://polyglotclub.com/find-friends.php?search=send&d=0&f=36&offre1=38 Find native speakers] and ask them any [https://polyglotclub.com/language/standard-estonian/question questions]!


* Küsida: Sa oled hea, ei? (Ask: You are good, right?)
== Sources ==
* Küsida: Ta on sõber, ei? (Ask: He is a friend, right?)
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonian_language Estonian language]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_Estonian Standard Estonian]
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Question Question]


== Conclusion ==
{{#seo:
|title=Standard Estonian Grammar - Questions
|keywords=Standard Estonian, grammar, questions, language learning
|description=Learn how to ask questions in Standard Estonian with this grammar guide. From basic question patterns to more complex structures, this article covers it all!
}}


Asking questions in Standard Estonian is not as difficult as it may seem. By following the tips and examples in this lesson, you should now have a good understanding of how to ask questions in Standard Estonian.
==Other Lessons==
<br><hr>If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.<br>Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Future-Tense|Future Tense]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have|How to Use Have]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Negation|Negation]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Adverbs|Adverbs]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be|How to Use Be]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Adjectives|Adjectives]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Conditional-Mood|Conditional Mood]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Nouns|Nouns]]
* [[Language/Standard-estonian/Grammar/Articles|Articles]]


{{Standard-estonian-Page-Bottom}}
{{Standard-estonian-Page-Bottom}}
<span links></span>

Latest revision as of 21:01, 27 March 2023

Estonia-Timeline-PolyglotClub.jpg
Standard Estonian Grammar - Questions

Hi Standard Estonian learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on asking questions in Standard Estonian.


Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Standard Estonian Grammar → Introduction to Estonian → Alphabet ..., Introduction to Estonian grammar ..., Nouns & Conjunctions.

Basic question pattern[edit | edit source]

To form a basic question in Standard Estonian, you can either use intonation or add a question word at the beginning of the sentence.

Using intonation[edit | edit source]

To form a question with intonation, you simply raise your voice at the end of the sentence. For example:

  • Sina oled eestlane. (You are Estonian.)
  • Sina oled eestlane? (Are you Estonian?)

Using question words[edit | edit source]

Question words are words that begin a question. In English, examples of question words are "what", "where", "who", etc. In Standard Estonian, some examples of question words are "kes" (who), "mis" (what), "kuidas" (how), "millal" (when), "kus" (where), and "miks" (why). For example:

  • Kes sa oled? (Who are you?)
  • Mis su lemmiktoit on? (What is your favorite food?)
  • Kuidas sul läheb? (How are you?)
  • Millal sa tulekul oled? (When are you coming?)
  • Kus sa elad? (Where do you live?)
  • Miks sa nii arvad? (Why do you think so?)

Note that in Standard Estonian, the word order remains the same in both affirmative and negative sentences. For example, "Sa saad aru" (You understand) becomes "Sa saad aru?" (Do you understand?) and "Sa ei saa aru" (You don't understand) becomes "Sa ei saa aru?" (Don't you understand?)

Word order in questions[edit | edit source]

When forming a question with a question word, the word order in the sentence changes. The question word comes first, followed by the verb, then the subject, and the rest of the sentence. For example:

Standard Estonian Pronunciation English
Kus sa elad? ['kus sa 'elad] Where do you live?
Mis juhtus? ['mis 'jux.tus] What happened?
Kuidas sul läheb? ['kui.das sul 'læ.heb] How are you?

Note that if the verb is "olema" (to be), the question word comes before the verb. For example: "Kes sa oled?" (Who are you?)

Dialogue[edit | edit source]

  • Person 1: Millal on sinu sünnipäev? (When is your birthday?)
  • Person 2: Minu sünnipäev on 17. juunil. (My birthday is on June 17th.)
  • Person 1: Kus sa õpid? (Where do you study?)
  • Person 2: Ma õpin Tartu Ülikoolis. (I study at Tartu University.)

More complex questions[edit | edit source]

In Standard Estonian, you can also form more complex questions by using different sentence structures. For example:

Indirect questions[edit | edit source]

Indirect questions are questions that are embedded in a statement. They are introduced by certain verbs, such as "tahaksin teada" (I would like to know), "ei tea" (I don't know), or "küsima" (to ask). The word order in an indirect question is the same as in a normal question. For example:

  • Ma ei tea, millal ta siia tuleb. (I don't know when he will come here.)
  • Kas sa oskad öelda, kus see asub? (Can you tell me where it is?)
  • Tahaksin teada, mida sa arvad sellest ideest. (I would like to know what you think about this idea.)

Tag questions[edit | edit source]

Tag questions are questions that are added at the end of a sentence to confirm or emphasize the statement. In Standard Estonian, tag questions are formed by adding "-kas" or "-eks" at the end of the sentence. For example:

  • Sa tuled, eks? (You're coming, right?)
  • Sa oled Eesti kodanik, kas pole? (You're an Estonian citizen, aren't you?)
  • See on õige, eks? (That's correct, isn't it?)

Cultural notes[edit | edit source]

- In Estonian culture, it is considered polite to wait for a pause in the conversation before asking a question. Interrupting someone while they are speaking is considered rude. - Estonian has a unique personal pronoun system. Instead of "he" and "she", Estonian uses gender-neutral pronouns "tema" and "ta".

To improve your Standard Estonian Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources[edit | edit source]

Other Lessons[edit | edit source]


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