Opettajalle

Opettajalle is the allative form of the Finnish noun opettaja, meaning teacher. In Finnish grammar, this form denotes the recipient or beneficiary of an action and is used to indicate direction toward someone or something, often translating as “to the teacher” or “for the teacher.” The form is created by adding the allative suffix -lle to the noun stem, giving opettajalle from opettaja.

In practice, opettajalle marks the indirect object of a verb. It is common with verbs that involve giving, sending, or communicating to someone. Examples include Lähetän opettajalle sähköpostin (I am sending an email to the teacher), Soitin opettajalle (I called the teacher), and Olen varannut ajan opettajalle (I have reserved an appointment for the teacher). The allative can also express benefit, as in tarjoamme kahvit opettajalle (we offer coffee to the teacher).

Notes on usage and form: opettajalle is spelled with a double l (opettajalle) because of the suffix -lle attaching to a stem ending in -aja. It is distinct from the genitive form opettajan, which expresses ownership (the teacher’s). The allative is common in educational and formal contexts, but it can appear in everyday speech as well when indicating the recipient of an action or a person for whom something is intended.