allatiivsingulaarvorm

Allatiivsingulaarvorm refers to the singular form of the allative case in languages that have this case, most notably Finnish and other Finnic languages. The allative expresses movement toward or destination to a place or recipient and is used with verbs of motion or transfer. In many Finnic grammars, the allative is one of the locative cases that marks direction rather than location.

In Finnish, the allatiivi is typically formed by adding the suffix -lle to the noun, producing forms such as talolle (to the house) or kauppakeskukselle (to the shopping center). Personal pronouns also have allative forms, for example minulle (to me), sinulle (to you), hänelle (to him/her), meille (to us), teille (to you all), heille (to them). The allative singular commonly answers the question “to where?” and is contrasted with other directional cases, such as the illative meaning “into” (e.g., taloon, into the house).

The allative system can vary across Finnic languages. In Estonian, a closely related language, a similar directional meaning is expressed with the suffix -le, producing majale (to the house). The term allatiivsingulaarvorm is used in linguistic descriptions and dictionaries to refer specifically to the singular allative form, as opposed to the allative plural or other case forms. Usage is primarily with verbs of motion, transfer, or giving, and with personal pronouns that indicate recipient or direction.