Estonian Basic-School Russian as a Foreign Language Exam flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Kaks korda kuulamine

In the Estonian listening test each recorded text is normally played twice, with a pause before the second playing so the candidate can check or complete the answers.

Aga, kuid, vaid

Contrast connectors. Aga and kuid mean 'but'; vaid means 'but rather' and typically introduces a correction of something just said, so the corrected detail is the answer.

Ei ole / mitte kunagi

Negative markers. In true/false listening items a single negator reverses the statement's truth value, so a sentence with ei ole or mitte kunagi cannot confirm a positive claim.

Kõigepealt, seejärel, lõpuks

Sequence markers meaning 'first, then, finally'. They signal the order of steps in instructions or narrations, which usually matches the order of the listening or reading items.

Number + singular nominative

After numbers two and above Estonian uses the singular partitive in the object position but the singular nominative for the subject: kaks õpilast tulevad, kolm raamatut on laual.

Pool kolm

Clock time meaning 2:30, literally 'half of three'. Estonian counts toward the coming hour, so pool kolm is half an hour before three o'clock.

Kuulamisülesande tüübid

Listening tasks include matching a short utterance to a picture or situation, true/false statements, multiple-choice items, and note or table completion with short written answers.

Sõnaühendi lünk täitmine

Gap-fill task. The inserted word must agree in case and number with the surrounding words, so grammar eliminates wrong options before meaning is considered.

Alati, kunagi, ainult

Absolute adverbs meaning 'always, ever/never, only'. In reading items they usually mark a false or distractor option, because texts prefer hedged words like tavaliselt or mõnikord.

Parafraas ülesandes

The correct reading answer usually restates the text in different words. A phrase copied word for word from the text is often part of a distractor.

Lokatiivsed käänded

Locative cases: -s (in), -st (out of), -l (on), -lt (off), -le (onto), -sse (into). Their endings show place and direction without separate prepositions.

Partitiiv objekti tunnusena

The partitive object ending -t/-d signals an ongoing or partial action: loen raamatut. The genitive object signals a completed action: loen raamatu läbi.

Tuletusliited -mine ja -ja

Suffix -mine forms action nouns (õppimine 'studying'), and -ja forms the doer (õpetaja 'teacher', lugeja 'reader'). Recognising them unlocks unknown words in texts.

Pealkirjade sidumine

Matching-headings task. Do the certain pairs first and cross them off; the remaining headings are then decided by one distinctive detail such as a price, place or time.

Tavaliselt, sageli, mõnikord

Hedging frequency adverbs meaning 'usually, often, sometimes'. They typically support a true statement, in contrast to absolute words like alati or mitte kunagi.

Tud-kesksõna

The -tud participle marks an impersonal or completed passive action: tekst on loetud 'the text has been read'. It never agrees with the subject in person.

Sisupunktide loendamine

Before writing, list the content points the prompt requires. Each named point must appear explicitly, because a missing point costs more than a small grammar error.

Tänan + partitiiv

The verb tänama governs the partitive: tänan sind, tänan abi eest. With the interjection aitäh the cause stands in the elative with eest.

Räägin sinust

The verb rääkima 'to speak about' takes the elative: räägin sinust, räägin koolist. Using the partitive here is a frequent writing error.

Lähen koju, lähen kooli

Direction verbs take the illative or an adverbial of place: lähen koju, lähen kooli, lähen linna. No preposition is used before the place word.

Eitus: ei + pöördkonna tüvi

Negative present is formed with ei plus the bare stem without personal ending: ma ei ela, sa ei ela, ta ei ela. The negative past uses ei + nud-participle.

Kaassõna + omastav

Postpositions govern the genitive: enne tööd, pärast kooli, ilma sinuta, koos sõbraga, laua all, maja taga. The stem before the postposition is genitive.

Siduvad sõnad kirjutises

Connectors such as sest, kuid, seepärast, näiteks and lõpuks link sentences. One per one or two sentences gives cohesion without sounding repetitive.

Tervitus ja lõppsõna

Informal message: Tere! or Tsau! with Kalli or Parimate soovidega. Formal letter: Lugupeetud [nimi] opening and Lugupidamisega closing.

Sõnapiir ±10%

The stated word count is checked. Staying within roughly ten percent above or below the required length avoids a length penalty in the writing task.

Täislausega vastamine

In the speaking test, answer in complete clauses rather than single words: 'Mulle meeldib sport, sest see teeb tuju heaks' instead of just 'Jah'.

Ma arvan, et…

An opinion opener meaning 'I think that…'. It introduces a full clause and gives the speaker a moment to plan the rest of the sentence.

Kes, mis, kus, millal

Question words meaning who, what, where, when. The question word determines the answer type, so a kus question needs a place, not a time.

Pildi kirjeldamise järjekord

Describe a picture in a fixed order: who or what is shown, where they are, what they are doing, and what happens next. This keeps the monologue coherent.

Vaba- ja pikk häälik

Estonian distinguishes short, long and overlong vowels and consonants: sada 'hundred', saada 'to get', saada with overlong length. Length changes meaning.

Õ-häälik

The vowel õ is a distinct Estonian phoneme, close to a central unrounded vowel. Replacing it with ö or o reduces intelligibility in speaking tasks.

Veerand neli

Clock time meaning 3:15, literally 'a quarter of four'. Similarly kolmveerand viis is 4:45, counting toward the next hour.