Past Tense Verbs
The past tense is formed by introducing the infix -si- between the root of the verb and the regular endings.
If the stem ends in a consonant, -i- must be inserted in the 3rd person.
Example: teadma 'to know' - ta teadis (ma teadsin, etc..)
The exception to his rule is envoked when the verb has two syllables,
whose root ends in -e, such as olema 'to be' and tulema 'to come'.
In such cases the e is changed to i to which you add the regular verb endings,
except for the 3rd person singular which is endingless:
The verb minema [to go] is one of those verbs that never seems to follow the rules.
Rääkima - to speak
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ma rääkisin | I spoke
| sa rääkisid | you spoke
| ta rääkis | he/she/it spoke
| me rääkisime | we spoke
| te rääkisite | you (all) spoke
| nad rääkisid | they spoke
|
|
Tulema - to come
|
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ma tulin | I came
| sa tulid | you came
| ta tuli | he/she/it camee
| me tulime | we came
| te tulite | you (all) came
| nad tulid | they came
|
|
Minema - to go
|
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ma läksin | I went
| sa läksid | you went
| ta läks | he/she/it went
| me läksime | we went
| te läksite | you (all) went
| nad läksid | they went
|
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