Lõigatavale

Lõigatavale is an Estonian grammatical form that functions as the allative singular form of the adjective lõigatav, which means “able to be cut” or “cuttable.” The form shows how Estonian adjectives inflect for case and number to agree with the noun they modify.

Morphology and usage

Lõigatav forms with the suffix -atav to express capability (from the verb lõigata, “to cut”). To mark direction toward something in Estonian, adjectives can take the allative case, which adds the ending -le to the noun and to the agreeing adjective. Consequently, the allative singular form becomes lõigatavale. This is used before a noun in allative (directional) constructions, for example with a noun in the allative: lõigatavale alale, meaning “to the cuttable area.” The same pattern applies to other nouns in the allative, yielding phrases that describe where something is directed toward or intended for the cuttable item.

Context and frequency

Lõigatavale occurs mainly in technical, descriptive, or instructional language where properties of objects are specified in relation to a location or target. In everyday Estonian, other word forms of lõigatav (e.g., lõigatav, lõigatava) are more common, but lõigatavale appears in contexts involving spatial direction or targeting with adjectives describing usability or suitability.

Overview

In short, lõigatavale is the allative singular form of lõigatav, used to indicate “to the cuttable” or “to the place/thing that can be cut” when an adjective governs a noun in the allative case. It illustrates Estonian's pattern of adjective agreement with case and number and its use in direction-oriented phrases.