Module 2 — Hello, My Name Is...

Lesson 1 — Introducing Yourself

ReadingPreview

You are viewing a free preview lesson.

One of the first things you need in any language is the ability to introduce yourself.

In this lesson, you will learn how to:

say your name,
say where you live,
say where you are from,
say which languages you speak,
say that you are learning Estonian,
and give a short introduction.

1. Ma olen... — I Am...

You already know:

Ma olen ...

Meaning:

I am ...

Examples:

Ma olen Anna.

I am Anna.

Ma olen Mark.

I am Mark.

Ma olen õpetaja.

I am a teacher.

Ma olen insener.

I am an engineer.

2. Try It Yourself

Complete the sentence with your own name:

Ma olen ________.

Now say it aloud.

Then say it again without looking at the sentence.

Quick recall

How would you say:

I am Laura.

Choose one:

A. Ma Laura. B. Ma olen Laura. C. Minu Laura.

Check

B. Ma olen Laura.

3. Minu nimi on... — My Name Is...

To say:

My name is Anna.

use:

Minu nimi on Anna.

Word by word:

minu — my
nimi — name
on — is

So:

Minu nimi on Anna.

literally means:

My name is Anna.

4. Say Your Name Two Ways

Complete both sentences:

Ma olen ________.

Minu nimi on ________.

Both give your name.

Now answer without looking:

Which sounds natural?

Ma olen Daniel.

Minu nimi on Daniel.

Both.

Check

C. Both.

5. Mis su nimi on? — What Is Your Name?

To ask someone informally:

What is your name?

say:

Mis su nimi on?

Word by word:

mis — what
su — your
nimi — name
on — is

6. Your Turn: Answer the Question

Imagine someone asks:

Mis su nimi on?

Respond in Estonian.

Try before checking the example.

Possible answer

Minu nimi on Maria.

or:

Ma olen Maria.

Now replace Maria with your own name.

7. Build the Sentence

Put these words in the correct order:

nimi / minu / Anna / on

Your answer

Check

Minu nimi on Anna.

Now try:

olen / ma / Anna

Check

Ma olen Anna.

8. Mini Conversation

Read the conversation.

Tere!

Mis su nimi on?

Minu nimi on Laura. Aga sinu?

For now, understand Aga sinu? as:

And yours?

Mina olen Daniel.

Now read the conversation again and replace Laura and Daniel with names of your choice.

9. Ma elan... — I Live...

To say where you live:

Ma elan ...

Meaning:

I live ...

Example:

Ma elan Tallinnas.

I live in Tallinn.

Notice:

Tallinn → Tallinnas

Estonian changes the ending to express:

in Tallinn

You will learn this grammar later.

For now, learn:

Ma elan Tallinnas.

as a complete pattern.

10. Personalize It

Where do you live?

Complete:

Ma elan __________.

Examples:

Ma elan Tallinnas.

Ma elan Tartus.

Ma elan Pärnus.

Say your sentence aloud twice.

11. Choose the Correct Meaning

What does:

Ma elan Tallinnas.

mean?

A. I am from Tallinn. B. I live in Tallinn. C. I am going to Tallinn.

Check

B. I live in Tallinn.

12. Eesti → Eestis

Compare:

Eesti — Estonia

Eestis — in Estonia

So:

Ma elan Eestis.

means:

I live in Estonia.

Complete:

Ma elan ________.

Use:

Eestis

Then say the whole sentence.

13. Ma olen pärit... — I Am From...

To say where you are originally from:

Ma olen pärit ...

Meaning:

I am from ...

Examples:

Ma olen pärit Eestist.

I am from Estonia.

Ma olen pärit Soomest.

I am from Finland.

Ma olen pärit Inglismaalt.

I am from England.

The country ending changes.

You will learn these forms later.

For now, focus on:

Ma olen pärit ...

14. Live vs From

Choose the correct expression.

You currently live in Tallinn.

A. Ma olen pärit Tallinnast. B. Ma elan Tallinnas.

Check

B. Ma elan Tallinnas.

You want to say where you are originally from.

A. Ma olen pärit ... B. Ma elan ...

Check

A. Ma olen pärit ...

These two ideas are different:

elan → where I live

olen pärit → where I am from

15. Tell Us About Yourself

Complete both:

Ma olen pärit __________.

Ma elan __________.

Do not worry about the correct country ending yet if you have not learned it.

The important thing is understanding the two sentence patterns.

16. Ma räägin... — I Speak...

To say:

I speak ...

use:

Ma räägin ...

Example:

Ma räägin inglise keelt.

I speak English.

Another useful sentence:

Ma räägin natuke eesti keelt.

I speak a little Estonian.

Important word:

natuke — a little

17. Language Challenge

Match the sentence to its meaning.

A

Ma räägin inglise keelt.

B

Ma räägin natuke eesti keelt.

C

Ma õpin eesti keelt.

Meanings:

I am learning Estonian.
I speak English.
I speak a little Estonian.

Check

A → 2

B → 3

C → 1

18. Ma õpin eesti keelt

To say:

I am learning Estonian.

use:

Ma õpin eesti keelt.

Break it down:

ma — I
õpin — learn / study
eesti keelt — Estonian

Say it aloud:

Ma õpin eesti keelt.

Now try saying it without looking.

19. Speak About Yourself

Complete these with real information about yourself:

Ma olen __________.

Ma elan __________.

Ma olen pärit __________.

Ma räägin __________ keelt.

Ma õpin eesti keelt.

Now read your introduction aloud.

Do not translate each sentence while speaking.

20. Mina and Ma

Both:

mina

and:

ma

mean:

I

The shorter:

ma

is very common in everyday speech.

Example:

Ma olen Anna.

The longer form can add emphasis:

Mina olen Anna.

For normal conversation, use:

ma

21. Minu and Mu

Both:

minu

and:

mu

can mean:

my

Example:

Minu nimi on Anna.

A shorter conversational version is:

Mu nimi on Anna.

For now, use:

minu

because it is easier to recognize.

22. Quick Choice

Which is the common short form of:

mina

A. mi B. ma C. mu

Check

B. ma

Which can mean:

my

A. minu B. mina C. mis

Check

A. minu

23. Core Vocabulary

Estonian	English
ma	I
mina	I
minu	my
nimi	name
mis	what
olen	am
elan	live
pärit	from / originating from
räägin	speak
õpin	learn / study
natuke	a little
eesti keel	Estonian language
inglise keel	English language

24. Sentence Builder

Build each sentence before checking.

I am Martin.

Words:

Martin / olen / Ma

Check

Ma olen Martin.

My name is Eva.

Words:

nimi / Eva / Minu / on

Check

Minu nimi on Eva.

I live in Tallinn.

Words:

Tallinnas / elan / Ma

Check

Ma elan Tallinnas.

I am learning Estonian.

Words:

eesti / õpin / keelt / Ma

Check

Ma õpin eesti keelt.

25. Fix the Mistake

Each sentence contains a mistake.

Correct it.

1.

Ma Anna.

Check

Ma olen Anna.

2.

Minu on nimi David.

Check

Minu nimi on David.

3.

Ma Tallinnas elan.

At this stage, use the normal beginner word order:

Check

Ma elan Tallinnas.

4.

Ma eesti keelt õpin.

Use the basic pattern taught in this lesson:

Check

Ma õpin eesti keelt.

26. What Would You Say?

Choose the most suitable response.

Someone asks:

Mis su nimi on?

A. Ma elan Tallinnas. B. Minu nimi on Laura. C. Ma õpin eesti keelt.

Check

B. Minu nimi on Laura.

Someone asks where you live.

Which sentence would you use?

A. Ma elan Tallinnas. B. Ma räägin inglise keelt. C. Minu nimi on Laura.

Check

A. Ma elan Tallinnas.

You want to tell someone you are learning Estonian.

A. Ma olen Eesti. B. Ma õpin eesti keelt. C. Ma elan eesti keelt.

Check

B. Ma õpin eesti keelt.

27. Complete the Dialogue

Choose appropriate phrases for the blanks.

Tere! __________?

Minu nimi on Emma.

Mina olen Karl. __________?

Ma elan Tallinnas.

Possible phrases:

Kus sa elad?
Mis su nimi on?
Head aega!

Check

Tere! Mis su nimi on?

Minu nimi on Emma.

Mina olen Karl. Kus sa elad?

Ma elan Tallinnas.

You will learn:

Kus sa elad?

properly in a later lesson.

For now, notice how it works in conversation.

28. Pick Your Response

Imagine you meet someone at an event.

They say:

Tere! Mina olen Liis.

What could you say?

Head aega!

Tere! Ma olen Alex.

Ei, aitäh.

Check

B. Tere! Ma olen Alex.

29. Build Your Introduction

Create a four-sentence introduction.

Use:

1. Name

Ma olen __________.

2. Origin

Ma olen pärit __________.

3. Residence

Ma elan __________.

4. Language

Ma õpin eesti keelt.

Now say all four without stopping.

30. Make It Longer

Add one more sentence:

Ma räägin __________ keelt.

Your introduction now has five pieces of information.

Example:

Tere! Ma olen Alex. Ma olen pärit Inglismaalt. Ma elan Tallinnas. Ma räägin inglise keelt. Ma õpin eesti keelt.

31. Memory Challenge

Look at these patterns for ten seconds:

Ma olen ...

Minu nimi on ...

Ma elan ...

Ma olen pärit ...

Ma räägin ...

Ma õpin eesti keelt.

Now look away and try to recall as many as possible.

Then check your answers.

Repeat until you can remember at least five.

32. English → Estonian Speed Round

Try answering before looking at the solution.

I am Anna.

?

Answer: Ma olen Anna.

My name is Anna.

?

Answer: Minu nimi on Anna.

I live in Tallinn.

?

Answer: Ma elan Tallinnas.

I am learning Estonian.

?

Answer: Ma õpin eesti keelt.

I speak a little Estonian.

?

Answer: Ma räägin natuke eesti keelt.

33. Estonian → English Speed Round

Translate quickly.

Ma olen Laura.

?

Answer: I am Laura.

Minu nimi on Mark.

?

Answer: My name is Mark.

Ma elan Eestis.

?

Answer: I live in Estonia.

Ma õpin eesti keelt.

?

Answer: I am learning Estonian.

34. Real-Life Role Play

Imagine you are meeting a new colleague.

You must do four things:

greet them,
tell them your name,
tell them where you live,
say you are learning Estonian.

Do not look at the example until you have tried.

Example

Tere!

Ma olen Alex.

Ma elan Tallinnas.

Ma õpin eesti keelt.

Now repeat using your real information.

35. Conversation Challenge

Try to complete this conversation aloud.

Other person:

Tere!

You:

Other person:

Mina olen Laura. Mis su nimi on?

You:

Other person:

Kus sa elad?

You:

Other person:

Kas sa räägid eesti keelt?

You:

Possible final response:

Ma räägin natuke eesti keelt.

or:

Ma õpin eesti keelt.

36. One-Minute Challenge

Try speaking for about one minute using only Estonian you already know.

Include as many of these as possible:

greeting,
name,
where you live,
where you are from,
language you speak,
learning Estonian,
thank you,
goodbye.

You may pause.

You may repeat yourself.

The goal is to retrieve the language without reading a script.

37. Real-Life Mission

The next time you have an appropriate opportunity, introduce yourself using at least two Estonian sentences.

For example:

Tere! Ma olen Alex.

Or:

Tere! Minu nimi on Alex. Ma õpin eesti keelt.

If the conversation switches to English afterward, that is completely fine.

The goal is to make the first Estonian sentences automatic.

38. What You Should Remember

I am...

Ma olen ...

My name is...

Minu nimi on ...

What is your name?

Mis su nimi on?

I live...

Ma elan ...

I am from...

Ma olen pärit ...

I speak...

Ma räägin ...

I speak a little Estonian.

Ma räägin natuke eesti keelt.

I am learning Estonian.

Ma õpin eesti keelt.

Final Challenge

Without looking back, introduce yourself in Estonian.

Try to include:

Hello.

My name is ...

I am from ...

I live in ...

I speak ...

I am learning Estonian.

Then compare your introduction with the patterns from this lesson.

If you can produce most of it without reading, you are ready for the next lesson.

Lesson Summary

You can now give a basic personal introduction instead of only recognizing individual phrases.

You practiced the language through:

sentence building,
choosing appropriate responses,
correcting mistakes,
personalized answers,
dialogue completion,
memory retrieval,
speed translation,
and real-life role play.

The core patterns are:

Ma olen ...

Minu nimi on ...

Ma elan ...

Ma olen pärit ...

Ma räägin ...

Ma õpin eesti keelt.

In the next lesson:

What Is Your Name?

you will turn these introduction patterns into a more natural two-way conversation and learn sina / sa, minu / mu, sinu / su, and different ways of asking and answering questions about names.