Estonian Time Adverbs & Sequence Words
These small words give your sentences a sense of sequence and timing — already, soon, earlier, later, before, after, finally. They make a huge difference once you start using the past tense, and each comes with native audio.
Read them out loud
Estonian is phonetic — words are said the way they’re written. Tap the speaker on any word to hear a native voice, and remember that doubled letters (aa, öö, ss) are simply held longer. New to the sounds? Start with the alphabet & pronunciation guide.
Estonian Time Adverbs & Sequence Words: words & phrases
36 words · tap the speaker to hear each one.
| Audio | Estonian | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| üleeile | the day before yesterday | eile + üle-; "eilsele eelnenud päeval | |
| möödunud | past, last, previous | past participle of mööduma · vs eelmine — möödunud = elapsed/gone-by (often longer spans, möödunud aastal); eelmine = the one just before. | |
| eelmine | previous | genitive sg: eelmise · vs möödunud — eelmine = the immediately preceding one; möödunud = past/elapsed (e.g. möödunud nädalal). | |
| järgmine | next, following | genitive sg: järgmise | |
| varem | earlier, formerly | comparative of vara; antonym hiljem · vs enne — varem = earlier (comparative adverb); enne = before a point/event (preposition or adverb). | |
| hiljem | later, afterwards | comparative of hilja; antonym varem · vs pärast / seejärel — hiljem = later on; pärast = after (something); seejärel = right after that, in sequence. | |
| ennecommon | before | also a noun meaning "omen" · vs varem — enne = before (a point/event); varem = earlier (relative comparison). | |
| pärastcommon | after, afterwards | from elative of pära · vs hiljem / seejärel — pärast = after (event/time); hiljem = later; seejärel = next, immediately after that. | |
| siiscommon | then, after that | also "so" in clarifying sense | |
| seejärel | afterwards, subsequently | pärast seda, selle järel" · vs hiljem / pärast — seejärel = right after that, in a sequence; hiljem = later, vaguer; pärast = after. | |
| kohecommon | immediately, at once | not comparable | |
| varsti | soon | vars- + -sti | |
| jubacommon | already | Ma juba tulen" — I'm already coming | |
| veelcommon | still, yet | also adessive sg of vesi (water) | |
| ammu | long ago | also "let alone | |
| lõpuks | finally, in the end | translative of lõpp; synonym viimaks | |
| esmalt | at first, firstly | esma- + -lt | |
| kunagicommon | ever, once, someday | kuna + -gi · vs kord — kunagi = ever/sometime (vague); kord = one specific occasion (ühel korral). | |
| tookord | that time, on that occasion | tol korral (või ajal) | |
| kordcommon | time, occasion; once | genitive sg: korra, partitive sg: korda · vs aeg / kunagi — kord = a single occasion/once; aeg = time in general; kunagi = sometime/ever. | |
| lõpp | end, ending | genitive sg: lõpu | |
| algus | beginning | genitive sg: alguse | |
| mäletama | to remember | -ma inf; 1sg pres mäletan; past mäletasin | |
| juhtuma | to happen, to occur | -ma inf; 1sg pres juhtun; past juhtusin | |
| viima | to take, to lead | -ma inf (da-inf viia); 1sg pres viin; past viisin · vs tooma; vs võtma — viima = take/carry to elsewhere; tooma = bring here; võtma = pick up/take hold of. | |
| jääma | to stay, to remain | -ma inf (da-inf jääda); 1sg pres jään; past jäin · vs viibima — jääma = stay/remain (end up staying); viibima = be present/spend time somewhere (more formal). | |
| kohtuma | to meet, to encounter | -ma inf; 1sg pres kohtun; past kohtusin | |
| veetma | to spend (time) | -ma inf (da-inf veeta); 1sg pres veedan; past veetsin | |
| jõudma | to arrive; to manage to | -ma inf; 1sg pres jõuan; past jõudsin · vs saabuma — jõudma = arrive (reach, often with effort); saabuma = arrive (of scheduled things/events, formal). | |
| lugu | story, account | gen. loo, part. lugu | |
| jutt | talk, conversation | gen. jutu, part. juttu | |
| mälu | memory | gen. mälu, part. mälu · vs mälestus — mälu = memory as a faculty (recall ability); mälestus = a particular memory/recollection. | |
| äsja | just now, just recently | synonyms: just, alles | |
| viimati | last time, most recently | from viimane + -ti | |
| järjest | in a row, consecutively | also "more and more" (progressively) | |
| samal ajal | at the same time | samal (adessive sg of sama) + ajal · vs seejuures — samal ajal = at the same time (simultaneity); seejuures = meanwhile/in doing so (added circumstance). |
Read a real Estonian sentence
Built only from words you’d know by this point in the Selgeks course — proof these words add up to real Estonian.
Eile hommikul ärkasin vara ja tõusin voodist. Istusin jaamas ja kuulasin Õie laulu salvestisel, siis lugesin ta vana kirja. Ma armastasin väga Õie laulu, sest see oli ilus. Täna tean: ta laulis ja Hall Mees kuulas.
Frequently asked questions
Juba = already, varsti = soon. Pair them with a verb to add timing instantly.
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