Estonian (eesti keel)

travel phpto to inspire Estonian language study
Tallinn is the capital and the largest city of Estonia. Photo by khora - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

ALPHABET MATCHING GAME VOCABULARY FLASHCARDS

Why learn Estonian?

Learning Estonian improves the knowledge of your own language. Four out of five new jobs in the US are created as a result of foreign trade. Skills like problem solving, dealing with abstract concepts, are increased when you study Estonian. Estonian study leads to an appreciation of cultural diversity.

How Long Does it Take to Learn Estonian?

Estonian is rated as a category 3 language by the Foreign Service Institute. It is considered moderately difficult for English speakers to learn and takes an average of 44 weeks (or 1100 class hours) to gain professional working proficiency.

Estonian Alphabet & Pronunciation

The official Estonian alphabet has 27 letters: A, B, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, Š, Z, Ž, T, U, V, Õ, Ä, Ö, Ü. The letters F, Š, Z, Ž are so-called "foreign letters" (võõrtähed), and occur only in loanwords and foreign proper names. Occasionally, the alphabet is recited without them, and thus has only 23 letters: A, B, D, E, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, U, V, Õ, Ä, Ö, Ü. The letters C, Q, W, X and Y are used in writing foreign proper names, but they do not occur in Estonian words, and are not officially part of the alphabet.

A a
[ɑː]
B b
[b]
D d
[d]
E e
[e]
F f
[f]
G g
[ɡ]
H h
[h]
I i
[i]
J j
[j]
K k
[k]
L l
[l]
M m
[m]
N n
[n]
O o
[o]
P p
[p]
R r
[r]
S s
[s]
Š š
[ʃ]
Z z
[z]
Ž ž
[ʒ]
T t
[t]
U u
[u]
V v
[ʋ]
Õ õ
[ɤ]
Ä ä
[æ]
Ö ö
[ø]
Ü ü
[y]

Basic Phrases in Estonian

HelloTere
GoodbyeHüvasti
YesJah
NoEi
Excuse meVabandage mind
PleasePalun
Thank youAitäh
You are welcomeOled oodatud
Do you speak englishKas sa räägid inglise keelt?
Do you understandKas sa saad aru?
I understandMa saan aru
I do not understandMa ei saa aru
How are youKuidas sul läheb?
Fine thanksHea, aitäh!
What is your nameMis su nimi on?
My name isMinu nimi on
Pleased to meet youMeeldiv tutvuda

Estonian Grammar

Estonian Nouns

ManMees
WomanNaine
BoyPoiss
GirlTüdruk
CatKass
DogKoer
FishKala
WaterVesi
MilkPiim
EggMuna
HouseMaja
FlowerLill
TreePuu
ShirtSärk
PantsPüksid

Estonian Adjectives

Colors in Estonian

BlackMust
WhiteValge
RedPunane
OrangeOranž
YellowKollane
GreenRoheline
BlueSinine
PurpleLilla
PinkRoosa
GrayHall
BrownPruun

Numbers in Estonian

ZeroNull
Oneüks
TwoKaks
ThreeKolm
FourNeli
FiveViis
SixKuus
SevenSeitse
EightKaheksa
NineÜheksa
TenKümme
ElevenÜksteist
TwelveKaksteist
TwentyKakskümmend
ThirtyKolmkümmend
FortyNelikümmend
FiftyViiskümmend
SixtyKuuskümmend
SeventySeitsekümmend
EightyKaheksakümmend
Ninetyüheksakümmend
HundredSada
ThousandTuhat

Estonian Verbs

To beOlla
To haveOmama
To wantTahavad
To needVajama
To helpAitama
To goMinema
To comeTulema
To eatSööma
To drinkJooma
To speakRääkida

Building Simple Sentences

More Complex Estonian Sentences

AndJa
OrVõi
ButAga
BecauseSest
WithKoos
AlsoKa
HoweverKuid
NeitherEi
NorEga
IfKui
ThenSiis

Useful Estonian Vocabulary

Estonian Questions

WhoKes
WhatMida
WhenMillal
WhereKus
WhyMiks
HowKuidas
How manyKui palju
How muchKui palju

Days of the Week in Estonian

MondayEsmaspäev
TuesdayTeisipäev
WednesdayKolmapäev
ThursdayNeljapäev
FridayReede
SaturdayLaupäev
SundayPühapäeval
YesterdayEile
TodayTäna
TomorrowHomme

Months in Estonian

JanuaryJaanuaril
FebruaryVeebruaril
MarchMärtsil
AprilAprillil
MayMai
JuneJuuni
JulyJuuli
AugustAugustini
SeptemberSeptembril
OctoberOktoobril
NovemberNovembril
DecemberDetsembril

Seasons in Estonian

WinterTalvel
SpringKevad
SummerSuvel
AutumnSügisel

Telling Time in Estonian

What time is itMis kell on?
HoursTundi
MinutesMinutit
SecondsSekundit
O clockKell
HalfPool
Quarter pastVeerand
BeforeEnne
AfterPärast