alternatiivses

Alternatiivses is an Estonian adjective form derived from alternatiivne, meaning "alternative." It is the inessive singular form used when the adjective precedes a noun that is in the inessive case, as in all phrases like alternatiivses kontekstis ("in an alternative context") or alternatiivses plaanis ("in an alternative plan"). The form agrees with the noun in number and case and is one of several inflected endings that Estonian adjectives take.

In general usage, alternatiivne describes something related to an alternative or an option that differs from the main one. The inessive form alternatiivses is common in formal and written Estonian, where explicit case marking helps express syntactic and semantic relations within a sentence. Other common forms of the same adjective include nominative alternatiivne, genitive alternatiivse, and partitive alternatiivset for singular nouns, along with their plural equivalents.

Etymology of the word traces to the noun alternatiiv, meaning "alternative," with the standard Estonian adjective suffix -ne to form alternatiivne. The inessive variant alternatiivses is a normal part of this declined paradigm, enabling precise expression of location or state within a particular context.

See also: Estonian grammar; adjectives; noun-adjective agreement; case systems.