Illatiivkõlaga

Illatiivkõlaga refers to the illative suffix in Estonian grammar, a directional case used to express movement into a location. It indicates a destination inside a bounded space, such as a building, room, or city, and answers the question kuhu? (into where?).

Formation and forms. In singular, the illative suffix is typically -sse, attached to the noun stem (for example, majasse “into the house”). In plural, the illative takes the form -desse, as in majadesse “into the houses.” The illative forms are part of Estonian’s system of locative cases that convey direction rather than mere location. Some nouns may exhibit phonetic or orthographic adjustments when the suffix is added, producing familiar spellings such as majasse and majadesse.

Usage and function. The illative with -sse or -desse expresses motion toward the interior of a noun referent and is commonly used with verbs of movement to convey destination. It contrasts with the elative (out of) and the allative (onto/at) by focusing on entering rather than leaving or approaching a surface. Proper nouns and other nominals can also take illative forms to indicate entering a city, building, or other enclosed space (for example, into Tallinn or into a house, depending on the noun and form).

Notes. The illative is one of several locative cases in Estonian grammar and is tightly connected to the semantics of direction and destination. While most common with concrete nouns, it can appear with various singular and plural stems following the standard suffix patterns, and usage may vary slightly with dialect and register.