Perekonnale

Perekonnale is the allative singular form of the Estonian noun perekond, meaning the family. It expresses direction toward the family and is commonly translated as “to the family” or “for the family,” depending on the context.

In use, perekonnale marks the recipient or beneficiary of an action. It is often found with verbs that take an indirect object, such as giving or allocating. For example: Ma andsin raamatu perekonnale. “I gave the book to the family.” Perekonnale can also appear in adjectival phrases, like perekonnale mõeldud toode, meaning a product intended for the family.

Morphologically, perekonnale is formed from the base perekond (family). Its genitive singular is perekonna, and the allative is created by adding -le to that form, yielding perekonnale. This pattern is typical for many Estonian nouns where the allative is built from the genitive stem.

Plural usage exists as well, with the allative plural form used when referring to multiple families, for example perekondadele in standard constructions. The singular form perekonnale remains common when the reference is to a single family.

Related notes include the distinction between direction toward a recipient (allative) and other cases that can indicate possession, location, or origin. Perekonnale is a clear example of how Estonian marks beneficiaries and recipients through grammatical case rather than prepositions alone.