Estonian with Grete

Here are some things you should NOT say to Estonians
(as they often show willful ignorance and people might take offence)

👉 If you’re spending time in Estonia, most people are fairly direct and tolerant of cultural mistakes but there are a few topics where foreigners accidentally come across as ignorant, dismissive, or politically tone-deaf.

‼️ If you’re already in the country, it’s expected that you’ve done your homework and know basic things about the country (like the capital, official language, location, a bit of cultural and/or political background + some fun facts)

Here’s a quick explanation to each one:
1. Estonia has one official language: Estonian 🇪🇪
Although many Estonians do speak some Russian, especially older generations (due to our history with the Soviet Union), many younger Estonians either don’t speak it well or actively prefer not to use it.

Language/identity are politically and emotionally sensitive topics for many people, so don’t assume someone speaks Russian and rather start in English instead.

And no, Estonian and Russian are not similar. Estonian language is Finnic and much more closely related to Finnish language than Russian.

2. The capital of Estonia is Tallinn and there are about 450,000 habitants (about 51% Estonians) 🌇

3. Estonian is part of the EU (since 2004) and Yes, we do use euro as the currency (since 2011) 🇪🇺💶

4. Estonia is located in the Baltic region of the Northern Europe (or more precisely in the northeastern Europe). 📍

This the most argued one so far and probably you’ll see the argument continue in the comments 🫣

Many Estonians strongly identify culturally with the Nordics and Northern Europe rather than the stereotypical image of “Eastern Europe.” You don’t have to pretend it’s Scandinavia, but avoid framing it as “less developed Europe.”

-Continued in the comments!-

Kas Sinul on reis kunagi viimasel hetkel (peaaegu) ära jäänud?

Answer interview questions like a native!

We have put together a few examples on how to advance how you talk about yourself during a job interview.

🇪🇪Kellesse sina kõrvuni armunud oled?
🇬🇧How are you mad in love with?

Tag them in the comments! 😉

It’s time to learn perhaps the hardest letter in Estonian history: Õ

Check out also the other parts of this series to discover the pronunciation of Ö, Ä and Ü!

Today let’s put dots on U and see how the pronounciation changes!

So what happens when you add dots to O, let’s find out together!

There are some strange dots and wiggles on top of some Estonian letters, so how do you pronounce them?

Let’s start with Ä!

Let’s learn some common commands together!