Estonian Short Courses Levels

Course description: The Beginners’ Estonian course is intended for those who have no previous knowledge of the language. The course runs over three ten-week terms and each session is two hours long. It develops all four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. The course covers:

Topics: pronunciation, the alphabet, sound mutations and grades, some basic grammatical concepts, common greetings and everyday conversation, gradually introducing some aspects of Estonian culture.

Functions: Students are encouraged to engage in dialogues and classroom conversations which familiarize them with a steadily growing everyday vocabulary and a correct grasp of Estonian grammar. Functional language for everyday life in Estonia is covered: shopping, ordering food and drinks, invitations, travelling.

Grammar: present and past tenses of the verb, the system of noun cases, agreement between nouns and adjectives, the number system, word order and syntax, idiomatic expressions.

Study materials: The textbook used in the class is Colloquial Estonian (C.Moseley, Routledge 2008). Students will be expected to successfully complete all the lessons in this course, including grammar, vocabulary and exercises, some of them done as class work and some as homework assignments.

In their last term, however, they will be given some additional material (supplied by the teacher) as they approach completion of the Colloquial course. This consists of exercises and class assignments from other textbooks: Teach Yourself Estonian (M.Kitsnik & L.Kingisepp, 2008) and E nagu Eesti (M.Pesti & H.Ahi, 2006), Saame Tuttavaks (S.Tomingas, 2011), used as a basis for written work and conversation in class.

Course description: The Lower Intermediate Course in Estonian is offered to students who have already completed the Beginners’ course and wish to deepen their knowledge of Estonian language and culture, or are more familiar with these through regular visits to and contacts with the country. The course runs over three ten-week terms and each session is two hours long. It further develops all four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Topics: In this course the students get the opportunity to actively engage their conversational skills in Estonian on a wide range of everyday topics as well as practical everyday concerns in Estonian life: shopping, visits to the doctor, dealing with authorities, housing and social life.

Functions: Idiomatic use of both spoken and written Estonian is further developed. Students are encouraged to contribute study materials of their own if they wish, relating to topics of particular interest to them. Extensive use is made of the Estonian media and Internet sources. An introduction to Estonian literature is provided.

Grammar: Students gain a more confident grasp of the grammar already taught, and there is plenty of opportunity to practice the patterns and idioms learned so far.

Study materials: These will be provided by the teacher, but a supplementary textbook is T nagu Tallinn (M.Pesti & H.Ahi, 2006).

Course description: Upper Intermediate Estonian is intended for those who have a reasonable speaking fluency in Estonian and a good working knowledge of its grammar and some familiarity with its culture. The course runs over three ten-week terms and each session is two hours long. It further develops all four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Students are encouraged to converse, read and write about a range of topics familiar to Estonians, based mainly on printed and broadcast and Internet media sources. Current affairs relating to Estonia are discussed, and the student’s knowledge of Estonian culture is deepened and widened.

Study materials: These are provided by the teacher, but a supplementary textbook is T nagu Tallinn (M.Pesti & H.Ahi, 2006).

Course description: Level 4 is for those who have successfully completed the Upper Intermediate Evening Course or a similar course and have developed a sound knowledge of the language through extensive visits to Estonia, personal relationships, or working with the language. The course runs over three ten-week terms and each session is two hours long.

Linguistic and cultural awareness is reinforced through continuous revision and grammar is consolidated as an integral part of texts, films, television programmes and use of the Estonian media and Internet. On completion of the course students should be able to manage confidently in Estonian-speaking environments, converse reasonably fluently with native speakers, and to retrieve information from a wide range of authentic materials. The course includes all four skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. The course will cover the following:

Topics: Estonian culture, history and society through text, film, and music; festivals and cultural events; political life; trends in Estonian literature

Functions: reading, analysing, and summarising authentic texts; extracting and presenting information from written or visual resources; reports and preparing presentations; ‘reading between the lines’: detecting implied content in texts

Grammar: refining the use of the verb, adjective and noun systems; derivational noun and verb affixes, compounding; complex sentences and types of relative clauses; idiomatic expressions