Getting the hang of 'on' and 'oli' is essential for anyone tackling Estonian at the A2 level. 'On' is used for the present tense. For example, 'Ta on õpetaja.' means 'He/She is a teacher.' This is a straightforward way to express current states or actions.
On the other hand, 'oli' steps in for past tense situations. Consider this: 'Ta oli õpetaja.' translates to 'He/She was a teacher.' Here, you're indicating something that happened in the past.
Another example: 'See on ilus auto.' means 'This is a beautiful car.' But if the car was beautiful in the past, you'd say 'See oli ilus auto.'
One common mistake is using 'on' instead of 'oli' when recounting past experiences. To avoid this, practice by narrating simple past events. For instance, try telling a short story about your day yesterday, using 'oli' to frame past events.
Practice suggestion: Write five sentences about your day, using both present and past tenses, and check them with someone fluent or a tool at https://keelix.ee/modules.