kaksteist kuud
The Estonian phrase for "twelve months" is kaksteist kuud.
kaksteist kuud refers specifically to a period of time consisting of twelve consecutive months.
Which one should you use?
While kaksteist kuud specifically counts the individual months, üks aasta is the more common way to say "one year" when you are referring to a single unit of time.
Did you know?
- The Estonian word for month kuu is the exact same word used for the moon. This reflects the ancient lunar origins of how humans tracked months.
- The word kaksteist is actually a shortened form of a much longer phrase meaning 'two of the second decade'. This historical remnant is why the word behaves strangely when you change its grammatical case.
Examples in context
- Umbes kaksteist kuud.Approximately twelve months.
- Tööstusleping kestab kaksteist kuud.The employment contract lasts twelve months.
- Ma olen seal olnud kaksteist kuud.I have been there for twelve months.
Example conversation
Mari and Kristjan are discussing a project deadline.
- MariKui kaua meil on aega?How much time do we have?
- KristjanMeil on kaksteist kuud aega.We have twelve months.
- MariSee on siis terve aasta.That is a whole year, then.
- KristjanJah, see on piisavalt.Yes, that is enough.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kaksteist, CC BY-SA 4.0.
