You might notice that "mai" is very similar to the English word "May." This is because many month names in Estonian are loanwords from German or Latin, which share common roots with English.
While "mai" is simple enough, it's good to be aware that Estonian, like many languages, has several ways to talk about dates and times. For example, to say "in May," you would typically use the illative case: "mais." So, "Kohtume mais" means "We'll meet in May."
Knowing the months is foundational for any beginner, and "mai" is a great one to start with because of its easy recognition for English speakers.
When discussing the months of the year, a common question you might hear or need to ask is "Mis kuu on praegu?" which translates to "What month is it now?"
To respond, you would simply state the month, for example, "Praegu on mai." meaning "It is May now." You can also use the month in sentences to indicate when something happened or will happen. For instance, "Mai on ilus kuu" (May is a beautiful month).
Le savais-tu ?
Many European languages share a similar word for May due to the Roman influence.
Grammaire à connaître
Estonian months are always written with a lowercase first letter unless at the beginning of a sentence.
mai (May) vs. detsember (December)
When referring to a specific month, the illative case (-sse, -de, -desse) is used to indicate 'into' or 'to'. However, for months, it commonly means 'in' or 'for'.
Ma lähen puhkusele maisse. (I am going on vacation in May.)
When expressing an event happening 'in May', the inessive case (-s) is used.
Minu sünnipäev on mais. (My birthday is in May.)
To say 'from May', the elative case (-st) is used.
Kool kestab maist augustini. (School lasts from May to August.)
When a month is the subject of a sentence, it is in the nominative case.
Mai on ilus kuu. (May is a beautiful month.)
Origine du mot
From Latin 'Maius'.
Sens originel : Named after Maia, the Roman goddess of spring.
Indo-EuropeanContexte culturel
In Estonia, May is a much-anticipated month as it marks the true arrival of spring. It's a time when nature fully awakens, and people spend more time outdoors enjoying the longer, warmer days. Many traditional spring celebrations and events often take place in May.
Teste-toi 24 questions
Jaanuar, veebruar, märts, aprill, ___.
The sequence of months is January, February, March, April, May.
Minu sünnipäev on ___ kuus.
This sentence means 'My birthday is in the month of May.' 'Mai' is the correct month.
Lillede aeg algab tavaliselt ___.
This sentence means 'Flower season usually starts in May.' 'Mais' is the correct form for 'in May'.
Kooliaasta lõpeb ___.
This sentence means 'The school year ends in May.' 'Mais' is the correct form for 'in May'.
Ilm läheb soojemaks ___.
This sentence means 'The weather gets warmer in May.' 'Mais' is the correct form for 'in May'.
Pärast aprilli tuleb ___.
This sentence means 'After April comes May.' 'Mai' is the correct month.
This sentence translates to 'May is beautiful'. In Estonian, the verb 'on' (is) comes after the subject.
This sentence means 'My birthday is in May'. 'Mais' is the inessive case of 'mai', meaning 'in May'.
This sentence translates to 'We are going to the cafe in May'. 'Mais' indicates the month.
He has lived in Estonia since May 2020.
May is usually a beautiful month when nature awakens.
Our anniversary is in the last week of May.
Read this aloud:
Kas sa teadsid, et mai on eestlastele oluline kuu kevadpühade tõttu?
Focus: oluline
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Kuidas möödus sinu mai? Kas tegid midagi erilist?
Focus: möödus
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
Mul on plaanis mais reisida Lõuna-Eestisse.
Focus: Lõuna-Eestisse
Tu as dit :
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
This sentence translates to 'I was in Estonia in May.' The word 'maikuus' means 'in May'.
This sentence translates to 'May is a spring month.'
This sentence translates to 'Spring usually starts in May.'
/ 24 correct
Perfect score!
Contenu associé
Apprendre en contexte
Ce mot dans d'autres langues
Grammaire lie
Expressions liées
Plus de mots sur general
ainult
A1Only or just
algama
A1To begin or start
all
A1Under or below something
aprill
A1The fourth month of the year
arvama
A1To think, suppose, or opine
august
A1The eighth month of the year
detsember
A1The twelfth month of the year
ees
A1In front of
enne
A1Before or previously
esmaspäev
A1The first day of the week, Monday
