Past simple (lihtminevik) in Estonian
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The simple past (lihtminevik in Estonian) indicates an action that was completed at an earlier time.
The simple past is derived from the -ma infinitive by adding an element between the stem and the suffix which identifies the person doing the action. There are two different ways:
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Most Estonian verbs have the following endings in the past tense:
Person | Ending |
---|---|
I | -si/n |
You | -si/d |
He/She/It | -s |
We | -si/me |
You | -si/te |
They | -si/d |
Notice that the past endings for 'you (singular)' and 'they' are the same.
The past tense endings are added to the stem of the -ma infinitive. For instance, you start with the infinitive tantsima 'to dance', drop the -ma and you have the stem tantsi-.
English | Estonian |
---|---|
I danced | Ma tantsisin |
You danced | Sa tantsisid |
He/She/It danced | Tema tantsis |
We danced | Meie tantsisime |
You danced | Teie tantsisite |
They danced | Nemad tantsisid |
When the stem ends in a consonant, an -i- is inserted before the -s ending of the 3rd person singular. This makes it easier to pronounce.
English | Estonian |
---|---|
To know | Teadma |
I knew | Mina teadsin |
She knew | Tema teadis |
If the stem has a single p or t after a short vowel, the 3rd person singular form doubles this consonant.
English | Estonian |
---|---|
To cry | Nutma |
I cried | Mina nutsin |
She cried | Tema nuttis |
If the stem already ends in -s, the s in the past is omitted. (Except the 3rd person singular, where an -i- is also inserted.)
English | Estonian |
---|---|
To stand | Seisma |
I stood | Mina seisin |
She stood | Tema seisis |
The verb minema 'to go' is irregular. The stem doesn't come from the -ma infinitive, but is related to the present tense form of lähen 'I go'.
English | Estonian |
---|---|
I went | Mina läksin |
You went | Sina läksid |
He/She/It went | Tema läks |
We went | Meie läksime |
You went | Teie läksite |
They went | Nemad läksid |
For some verbs, the past tense is made with an element -i- instead of -si-. The 3rd person singular adds nothing to the -i.
Ending | |
---|---|
I | -i/n |
You | -i/d |
He/She/It | -i |
We | -i/me |
You | -i/te |
They | -i/d |
Two types of verbs are conjugated in this manner:
Some verbs with two-syllable stems ending in -e-
Example: olema 'to be'
English | Estonian |
---|---|
I was | Mina olin |
You were | Sina olid |
He/She/It was | Tema oli |
We were | Meie olime |
You were | Teie olite |
They were | Nemad olid |
Some verbs with stems ending in aa, ää, oo, öö. In these cases, the double vowel becomes a single vowel and oo or öö changes to õ.
Example: jooma 'to drink'
English | Estonian |
---|---|
I drank | Mina jõin |
You drank | Sina jõid |
He/She/It drank | Tema jõi |
We drank | Meie jõime |
You drank | Teie jõite |
They drank | Nemad jõid |
In the simple past tense, the negative form does not have personal endings. It consists of the negatory word ei 'not' and a form of the verb with a -nud suffix.
Example: verb tantsima 'to dance'
English | Estonian |
---|---|
I did not dance | Ma ei tantsinud |
You did not dance | Sa ei tantsinud |
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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 :
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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.
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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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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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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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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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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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I can't really judge the learning methods after a trial lesson. The overall impression was positive. I look forward to further work with Riina.
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- online and face-to-face teaching experience: over 15 years helping hundreds of students achieve their language goals
- flexibility: willing to tailor my techniques to both your interests and specific needs
- patience and excellent listening skills
- honesty and collaboration: let's build trust and consider our work as a partnership
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- sense of humour
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- speaking practice through role-play activities
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I OFFER a 15 MINUTE TRIAL LESSON TO DEMONSTRATE WHAT MY TEACHING METHOD LOOKS LIKE.
Hope to see you soon.
Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of every lesson:
1. Review what you covered in your previous lesson.
2. Focus on things you had difficulty with. I will definitely go over them.
3. It is always a great idea to take notes during your lessons. It helps you stay more focused on what you are learning.
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*** Please note that I am on holidays in august***
Bonjour ! Comment ça va ?
My name is Lou, and I would be happy to be your french teacher !
French classes are for all levels, beginner to advanced. I can help you prepare to french exams and I also offer conversation classes.
My classes are fun and dynamic ! We will use various documents to work on and always adapt the classes to your needs and interests.
Free 30 min trial lesson !
Before the trial class, I will provide you a short French test to evaluate your level.
Feel free to contact me to talk about your goals and to plan a trial lesson.
See you soon online ! :-)
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