Diminutives in Estonian
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A diminutive is a form of a word which indicates diminished size. E.g cigar -> cigaterre, pig -> piglet etc.
Diminutives are used quite often in Estonian, especially by children and in folk songs and poetry. This form also shows a bit of affection towards the object as with dog -> doggy, kitten -> kitty etc.
Lesson outline
HideDiminutive form of nouns
In Estonian the diminutive form is obtained by adding the ending -ke or -kene to the genitive singular. Both of them have the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.
| Nominative Singular | English | Genitive Singular | Diminutive form |
|---|---|---|---|
| laps | child | lapse | lapseke(ne) |
| kiisu | kitten | kiisu | kiisuke(ne) |
| ema | mother | ema | emake(ne) |
- Ära nuta, lapseke! --- Don't cry, little child!
- Ma armastan sind, kallis emake! --- I love you, dear mother!
- Kuidas sul läheb, pojake? --- How are you, little son?
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Diminutive form of adjectives
An adjective standing alone can also take on a diminutive ending.
E.g Mu armsake --- My dear little one (nom. sing. armas 'dear', gen. sing. armsa)
When an adjective modifies a noun which has a diminutive ending, then the adjective does not take on such a suffix.
E.g Mu armas pojake --- My dear little son (not: mu armsake pojake)
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My name is Diana. I am a TESOL-certified English and Estonian online teacher with more than 5 years of professional and over 20 years of international voluntary teaching experience. During these years I taught professionally more than 3000 different students by helping them to achieve their goals and dreams. My students were from different age groups, levels and backgrounds.
In my classes, you will feel at ease, have a friendly atmosphere and look forward to your next lessons. My aim is to make classes effective and my goal is to help you to :
* Advance your communication skills
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Tere! I am a language teacher with more than ten years of experience. I have worked as a lecturer of Estonian language and culture at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in Ukraine, at the Tallinn University in Estonia and in numerous language schools. Currently, I am a freelance linguist based in Berlin and teach Estonian online.
It is important for me to introduce a language as a simple logical system that is easy to understand and use. As a teacher, I structure my classes and deliver knowledge in a clear and engaging way, combining theory with practice. Besides my endeavours to make my classes useful, I aspire to make them entertaining and fun, so that my students have a great time in the lesson. By teaching students from a wide range of learning techniques, I always try to provide a personal approach to each student and adapt to their needs, so that they are able to continuously improve their grammar and vocabulary.
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In my classes, you will feel at ease, have a friendly atmosphere and look forward to your next lessons. My aim is to make classes effective and my goal is to help you to :
* Advance your communication skills
* Boost your communication efficiency by improving your accent and speaking clarity
* Achieve your desired language proficiency fast by using my effective and easy methods.
I tailor my teaching material according to your level and needs. As I strongly believe that no two students are alike and one teaching method that fits all is unfair and ineffective.
Looking forward to meeting you soon and emerging on a learning journey with you.
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Tere! I am a language teacher with more than ten years of experience. I have worked as a lecturer of Estonian language and culture at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in Ukraine, at the Tallinn University in Estonia and in numerous language schools. Currently, I am a freelance linguist based in Berlin and teach Estonian online.
It is important for me to introduce a language as a simple logical system that is easy to understand and use. As a teacher, I structure my classes and deliver knowledge in a clear and engaging way, combining theory with practice. Besides my endeavours to make my classes useful, I aspire to make them entertaining and fun, so that my students have a great time in the lesson. By teaching students from a wide range of learning techniques, I always try to provide a personal approach to each student and adapt to their needs, so that they are able to continuously improve their grammar and vocabulary.
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Tere! I am a language teacher with more than ten years of experience. I have worked as a lecturer of Estonian language and culture at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in Ukraine, at the Tallinn University in Estonia and in numerous language schools. Currently, I am a freelance linguist based in Berlin and teach Estonian online.
It is important for me to introduce a language as a simple logical system that is easy to understand and use. As a teacher, I structure my classes and deliver knowledge in a clear and engaging way, combining theory with practice. Besides my endeavours to make my classes useful, I aspire to make them entertaining and fun, so that my students have a great time in the lesson. By teaching students from a wide range of learning techniques, I always try to provide a personal approach to each student and adapt to their needs, so that they are able to continuously improve their grammar and vocabulary.
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My name is Diana. I am a TESOL-certified English and Estonian online teacher with more than 5 years of professional and over 20 years of international voluntary teaching experience. During these years I taught professionally more than 3000 different students by helping them to achieve their goals and dreams. My students were from different age groups, levels and backgrounds.
In my classes, you will feel at ease, have a friendly atmosphere and look forward to your next lessons. My aim is to make classes effective and my goal is to help you to :
* Advance your communication skills
* Boost your communication efficiency by improving your accent and speaking clarity
* Achieve your desired language proficiency fast by using my effective and easy methods.
I tailor my teaching material according to your level and needs. As I strongly believe that no two students are alike and one teaching method that fits all is unfair and ineffective.
Looking forward to meeting you soon and emerging on a learning journey with you.
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My name is Diana. I am a TESOL-certified English and Estonian online teacher with more than 5 years of professional and over 20 years of international voluntary teaching experience. During these years I taught professionally more than 3000 different students by helping them to achieve their goals and dreams. My students were from different age groups, levels and backgrounds.
In my classes, you will feel at ease, have a friendly atmosphere and look forward to your next lessons. My aim is to make classes effective and my goal is to help you to :
* Advance your communication skills
* Boost your communication efficiency by improving your accent and speaking clarity
* Achieve your desired language proficiency fast by using my effective and easy methods.
I tailor my teaching material according to your level and needs. As I strongly believe that no two students are alike and one teaching method that fits all is unfair and ineffective.
Looking forward to meeting you soon and emerging on a learning journey with you.
I. C.
Diana is a very professional teacher. Extremely patient and competent. She's always supporting and encouraging with her positive attitude. Looking forward to continue my study journey with her.
Diana B.
My name is Diana. I am a TESOL-certified English and Estonian online teacher with more than 5 years of professional and over 20 years of international voluntary teaching experience. During these years I taught professionally more than 3000 different students by helping them to achieve their goals and dreams. My students were from different age groups, levels and backgrounds.
In my classes, you will feel at ease, have a friendly atmosphere and look forward to your next lessons. My aim is to make classes effective and my goal is to help you to :
* Advance your communication skills
* Boost your communication efficiency by improving your accent and speaking clarity
* Achieve your desired language proficiency fast by using my effective and easy methods.
I tailor my teaching material according to your level and needs. As I strongly believe that no two students are alike and one teaching method that fits all is unfair and ineffective.
Looking forward to meeting you soon and emerging on a learning journey with you.
K. T.
It is so hard to find a good Estonian language teacher, especially a Russian speaker. And another important thing, that Diana motivates so much.
Diana B.
Tere! I am a language teacher with more than ten years of experience. I have worked as a lecturer of Estonian language and culture at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in Ukraine, at the Tallinn University in Estonia and in numerous language schools. Currently, I am a freelance linguist based in Berlin and teach Estonian online.
It is important for me to introduce a language as a simple logical system that is easy to understand and use. As a teacher, I structure my classes and deliver knowledge in a clear and engaging way, combining theory with practice. Besides my endeavours to make my classes useful, I aspire to make them entertaining and fun, so that my students have a great time in the lesson. By teaching students from a wide range of learning techniques, I always try to provide a personal approach to each student and adapt to their needs, so that they are able to continuously improve their grammar and vocabulary.
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