qaguvoze yudu becijac

The simple past tense in Estonian expresses an event in the past, not connected to the present or any other moment in the past.

Formation of Simple Past Tense

To form the simple past tense in Estonian, you generally need to know the stem of the verb and the appropriate endings. The process involves:

1. Identifying the Verb Stem: The stem is usually derived from the infinitive form of the verb by removing the "-ma" ending. For example, the verb "lugema" (to read) has the stem "luge-".

2. Adding the Past Tense Endings: The endings vary depending on the verb type and the subject. Here are the typical endings for regular verbs:

   • First Person Singular: -sin (e.g., lugesin - I read)
   • Second Person Singular: -sid (e.g., lugesid - you read)
   • Third Person Singular: -s (e.g., luges - he/she/it read)
   • First Person Plural: -sime (e.g., lugesime - we read)
   • Second Person Plural: -site (e.g., lugesite - you all read)
   • Third Person Plural: -sid (e.g., lugesid - they read)

Irregular Verbs

While many Estonian verbs follow the regular pattern, there are some irregular verbs that have unique past tense forms. For example:

• Minema (to go) becomes "läksin" (I went), "läksid" (you went), "läks" (he/she/it went), etc.
• Tulema (to come) becomes "tulin" (I came), "tulid" (you came), "tuli" (he/she/it came), etc.

Usage

The simple past tense in Estonian is used in much the same way as the simple past in English. It describes actions that were completed in the past, often with a clear indication of when the action took place. For example:

• "Eile ma lugesin raamatut." (Yesterday I read a book.)
• "Ta käis poes." (He/She went to the store.)

Negative Form

To form the negative past tense, Estonian uses the negative particle "ei" followed by the verb in its stem form. For example:

• "Ma ei lugenud raamatut." (I did not read the book.)
• "Ta ei käinud poes." (He/She did not go to the store.)