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Estonian frequency list

No. 5 in Estonian

oli

"Was" (past tense of "to be").

In a sentence

  • Päike oli taevas kõrgel.

    The sun was high in the sky.

    In this sentence, 'oli' is the third-person singular past tense of the verb 'olla', which means 'to be' in Estonian. It is used to describe a state or condition in the past.

  • Ma olin eile väga hõivatud.

    I was very busy yesterday.

    Here, although 'oli' itself isn't present, 'olin' is its first-person singular past tense form, derived from 'olla'. It is used to describe a personal state or condition in the past.

  • Kas see oli sinu auto?

    Was that your car?

    In this example, 'oli' is the third-person singular past tense of 'olla' and functions to form a question about possession in the past.

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