In Estonian grammar, nouns play a crucial role as they are the words that indicate objects, people, places, and abstract concepts. They provide the essential building blocks for constructing sentences and expressing ideas.

Nouns have three grammatical genders in Estonian: masculine, feminine, and neuter. However, the gender of a noun does not necessarily correspond to the natural gender of the object it represents. It is determined by its form and word ending.

Nouns in Estonian also have fourteen different case forms, which indicate their relationship to other words in a sentence. These cases include the nominative, accusative, genitive, partitive, and others. The case forms modify the endings of the nouns and the adjectives that accompany them.

In addition to their gender and case forms, nouns in Estonian can also be declined for number. They can be singular or plural, and their endings change accordingly.

Mastering the noun theory is essential for understanding the structure of Estonian sentences and forming accurate and grammatically correct expressions. It provides a solid foundation for building fluency in the language.