Estonian Gender

Welcome to the fifth Estonian lesson about gender. This time we will view a list of people, feminine and masculine, followed by grammar rules, finally a list of expressions in Estonian to help you practice your daily phrases.

man mees

woman naine

husband abikaasa

wife abikaasa

boy poiss

girl tüdruk

father isa

mother ema

Gender Grammar Rules

In general, gender is used to distinguish between male and female, sometimes referred to as masculine and feminine. For example: my son and daughter are students the noun [son] is masculine, while [daughter] is feminine. The following examples use gender in different ways and places to demonstrate their behavior.

Grammar + Rules - Estonian
my son is a student [masculine + noun] mu poeg on üliõpilane
her daughter is a student [feminine + noun] ta tütar on üliõpilane
he has a tall brother [adjective + masculine] tal on pikk vend
she has a tall sister [adjective + feminine] tal on pikk õde
his brothers are young [plural masculine + adjective] tema vennad on noored
his sisters are young [plural feminine + adjective] tema õed on noored

The list below will probably provide more clarification. These are family members (males and females). I think it would be wise to memorize them as part of your important vocabulary list.

son poeg

daughter tütar

brother vend

sister õde

grandfather vanaisa

grandmother vanaema

child laps

children lapsed

Expressions in Estonian

Now it's time to practice expressions used in daily conversations. If you're a beginner in learning Estonian, then the phrases below are something you would want to know.

English - Estonian
What do you mean? mida te selle all mõtlete?
I don't understand ma ei saa aru
I don't know ma ei tea
What is that called in Estonian? kuidas seda eesti keeles nimetatakse?
What is this? mis see on?
What does that word mean in English? mida see sõna inglise keeles tähendab?
Sorry (if you made a mistake) vabandust!

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