Greetings
Tere
TEH-reh
Hello. 'Tere hommikust' is good morning; 'tervist' is a slightly warmer hello.
Head aega
HEAD AH-eh-ga
Goodbye. 'Nägemist' also works, and 'tšau' is the casual borrow.
Social
Aitäh
AI-tah
Thank you. 'Tänan' is the more formal version.
Palun
PAH-lun
Please, here you are, and you're welcome. Does the same triple duty as Czech 'prosím'.
Vabandust
VAH-ban-dust
Sorry / excuse me. Useful for squeezing past people on a full tram.
Terviseks
TER-vi-seks
Cheers — literally 'to health'.
Daily life
Isikukood
I-si-ku-kohd
Your personal identification code — the 11-digit number that gates banking, health care, tax and every e-service. The single most important thing to obtain.
Elukoha registreerimine
EH-lu-ko-ha re-gis-TREE-ri-mi-ne
Registering your residence in the population register. Do it within 14 days; it unlocks free public transport in Tallinn.
Perearst
PEH-reh-arst
Family doctor — your gateway to the whole health system. You register onto one specific doctor's patient list.
ID-kaart
ID-kaart
The national ID card. With Smart-ID or Mobiil-ID it's how you sign contracts, file tax and log into your bank.
Food
Kohuke
KO-hu-ke
A glazed curd snack bar sold in every shop. Genuinely a national institution; try the vanilla one first.
Emergency
112
üks-üks-kaks
Emergency services. Estonia consolidated police, ambulance and fire onto this single number.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.