Allatiivsingular

Allatiivsingular is the singular form of the allative case in Finnish grammar. It marks a direction toward a person, place, or object, commonly translated into English as “to” or “onto.” The allative is used with verbs of movement or transfer and with nouns and pronouns to indicate the destination or recipient of an action.

In Finnish, the standard allative singular is formed by adding the suffix -lle to the noun stem. The exact spelling can vary with the phonology of the stem, producing forms such as talolle (to the house), koululle (to the school), and pihalle (to the yard). Other common singular allative forms include maalle (to the countryside) and tielle (to the road). Pronouns also take allative forms: minulle (to me), sinulle (to you), hänelle (to him/her).

The allative singular is distinct from related cases. It expresses movement toward or directed action, whereas illative marks movement into something (into the house, into the room). The adessive case, by contrast, denotes location “on” or “at.” Context and verb choice help determine the correct case in a sentence.

Usage notes include that allative forms are pervasive in everyday Finnish, especially with expressions of giving, directing, or going toward a destination. They interact with regular noun inflection patterns, but the core idea remains the same: a destination or recipient indicated by the -lle suffix in the singular. Examples include: Menen talolle (I’m going to the house), Lähden koululle (I’m going to the school), Kävelen tielle (I walk to the road).