- illative (sisseütlev) = for motion into something; it uses the ending -sse or ends in a vowel
inessive (seesütlev) = for location inside something; it uses the ending -s
elative (seestütlev) = for motion out of something; it uses the ending -st
This post will focus on the illative (sisseütlev) case in the singular.
Its Estonian name means "into" (sisse) "saying" (ütlev), and the first component of that word (sisse) gives a convenient reminder of its regular ending (-sse).
Question words for the illative (sisseütlev) case:
- kuhu? into where? to where?
millesse? into what?
kellesse? into whom?
- when talking about motion into something (lähen teatrisse = "I'm going into the theater")
- when talking about motion to certain places, such as to a city (sõidan autoga Tartusse = "I'm going to Tartu by car")
- with the verb jääma "to stay in" (kui kauaks jääb Tartusse = "how long is he/she staying in Tartu?"
- with the verb saabuma "to arrive in, to arrive at" (saabus Eestisse = "he/she arrived in Estonia"
- with the verb puutuma "to pertain to, to concern, to be in regards to" (see ei puutu sinusse = "this does not concern you")
- with the verbs armuma "to fall in love with" and kiinduma "to take a liking to, to fancy" (armusin temasse = "I fell in love with him/her")
- with the verb uskuma "to believe in" (usun Jumalasse = "I believe in God")
- with the verb suhtuma "to treat, to regard" (suhtub minusse nagu lapsesse = "he/she treats me like a child"
The regular illative ending is formed by attaching -sse to the genitive form of any noun or adjective:
- haigla (hospital): genitive haigla, illative haiglasse
hea (good): genitive hea, illative heasse
karu (bear): genitive karu, illative karusse
katus (roof): genitive katuse, illative katusesse
kelder (cellar): genitive keldri, illative keldrisse
puu (tree): genitive puu, illative puusse
raamat (book): genitive raamatu, illative raamatusse
Some words that end with -se in the genitive form have two illative forms, one which adds the -sse ending to the genitive -se as usual (forming -sesse) and a second, shorter one in which the -se of the genitive form is removed prior to adding -sse:
- armastus (love): genitive armastuse, illative armastusse or armastusesse
eestlane (Estonian): genitive eestlase, illative eestlasse or eestlasesse
haigus (illness, disease): genitive haiguse, illative haigusse or haigusesse
järgmine (next): genitive järgmise, illative järgmisse or järgmisesse
kauplus (store): genitive kaupluse, illative kauplusse or kauplusesse
küsimus (question): genitive küsimuse, illative küsimusse or küsimusesse
loodus (nature): genitive looduse, illative loodusse or loodusesse
roheline (green): genitive rohelise, illative rohelisse or rohelisesse
õpilane (student): genitive õpilase, illative õpilasse or õpilasesse
Note also that short illatives are typically pronounced in the third degree, i.e. overlong quantity. This means that (for example) even though genitive linna and illative linna are spelled the same, illative linna is pronounced with a longer n sound compared to genitive linna.)
In the list below, the nominative form and translation are given, followed by the short illative form and then the longer illative form.
This is not a complete list by any means, but lists some common ones, and will give you an idea of what the short illative forms look like and how they compare to the longer illative forms. Even though they are not entirely predictable and must be memorized, there are certain patterns to them which help with learning the short illative forms of new words. (I have grouped them by word-types.)
- general pattern: -VCV in nominative becomes -VCCV for short illative
elu (life) = ellu, elusse
jõgi (river) = jõkke, jõesse
keha (body) = kehha, kehasse
kino (movie theater, cinema) = kinno, kinosse
küla (village) = külla, külasse
lumi (snow) = lumme, lumesse
maja (house) = majja, majasse
meri (sea) = merre, meresse
mägi (hill, mountain) = mäkke, mäesse
mälu (memory) = mällu, mälusse
nägu (face) = näkku, näosse
oja (creek) = ojja, ojasse
osa (part) = ossa, osasse
talu (farm) = tallu, talusse
tuba (room) = tuppa, toasse
tuju (mood) = tujju, tujusse
tuli (fire) = tulle, tulesse
general pattern: CVV in nominative becomes CVhV for short illative
pea (head) = pähe, peasse
öö (night) = öhe, öösse
suu (mouth) = suhu, suusse
soo (swamp) = sohu, soosse
general pattern: CVsi in nominative becomes CVtte for short illative
käsi (hand) = kätte, käesse
mesi (honey) = mette, meesse
susi (wolf) = sutte, soesse
vesi (water) = vette, veesse
general pattern: -VVC in nominative becomes -VVCde (sometimes -VVde) for short illative
keel (language) = keelde, keelesse
lääs (west) = läände, läänesse
meel (mind) = meelde, meelesse
saar (island) = saarde, saaresse
suur (large) = suurde, suuresse
uus (new) = uude, uuesse
viis (five) = viide, viiesse
Various others
aed (garden) = aeda, aiasse
ahi (stove) = ahju, ahjusse
apteek (pharmacy) = apteeki, apteegisse
auk (hole) = auku, augusse
halb (bad) = halba, halvasse
hotell (hotel) = hotelli, hotellisse
jaam (station) = jaama, jaamasse
jalg (foot, leg) = jalga, jalasse
järv (lake) = järve, järvesse
karp (box) = karpi, karbisse
keskkond (environment) = keskkonda, keskkonnasse
kool (school) = kooli, koolisse
kott (bag) = kotti, kotisse
köök (kitchen) = kööki, köögisse
linn (city) = linna, linnasse
mets (forest) = metsa, metsasse
muuseum (museum) = muuseumi, muuseumisse
paat (boat) = paati, paadisse
pood (store) = poodi, poesse
restoran (restaurant) = restorani, restoranisse
saun (sauna) = sauna, saunasse
selg (back) = selga, seljasse
toos (box) = toosi, toosisse
tund (hour, lesson) = tundi, tunnisse
vann (tub) = vanni, vannisse
õu (yard) = õue, õuesse
kodu (home) = koju, kodusse
Not just common nouns and adjectives but also place-names have short illative forms:
- Haapsalu (Haapsalu) = Haapsallu, Haapsalusse
Leedu (Lithuania) = Leetu, Leedusse
Läti (Latvia) = Lätti, Lätisse
Narva-Jõesuu (Narva-Jõesuu) = Narva-Jõesuhu, Narva-Jõesuusse
Tartu (Tartu) = Tartu, Tartusse
Türgi (Turkey) = Türki, Türgisse
Võru (Võru) = Võrru, Võrusse
For words that have both a short illative form and a regular (long) illative, the short illative form is used much more often than the longer illative.
There are also some situations in which both forms are used but with different meanings. In those cases the longer illative form is usually used with verbs that involve illative in a more abstract way while the shorter illative is used with the more literal ("motion into") concrete meaning:
- Lähen kooli. = I go into the school. (literal meaning which involves motion into something)
Mis puutub koolisse.... = As for the school... / Regarding the school... (more abstract meaning, no actual motion)
- Lähen külla. = I go into the village. (literal meaning which involves motion into something)
Armusin külasse = I fell in love with the village. (more abstract meaning, no actual motion)
- Kukkus jõkke. = He/she fell into the river. (literal meaning which involves motion into something)
Kiindus jõesse. = He/she took a liking to the river. (more abstract meaning, no actual motion)