Pienelle

Pienelle is the allative singular form of the Finnish adjective pieni. It is used when an adjective modifies a noun in the allative case, to indicate direction toward or benefit for the thing described as small. As with other Finnish adjectives, pienelle does not function as a separate word with its own meaning; it is a grammatical form that completes the noun phrase in which it appears.

In practice, pienelle accompanies a noun that is in the allative case, producing phrases such as pienelle koiralle, pienelle lapselle, or pienelle ihmiselle. These phrases translate roughly to “to the small dog,” “to the little child,” or “for the little person,” depending on the verb and context. Finnish word order often places the noun phrase before a verb, so a sentence might read: Annoimme pienelle koiralle ruokaa (We gave food to the small dog).

Pienelle can also occur in attributive positions where the noun is already in the allative, for example in constructions like Lahja on suunnattu pienelle lapselle (The gift is aimed at the small child). The form is part of a broader system of Finnish allative morphology, which marks recipients, benefactors, destinations, or beneficiaries with the suffix -lle, applied to both nouns and to adjectives modifying those nouns.

See also: Finnish grammar, allative case, adjectives in Finnish.