ettevõtjale

Ettevõtjale is the allative case form of the Estonian noun ettevõtja, meaning entrepreneur or business owner. The allative case is used to indicate direction toward someone or for someone’s benefit, and in English is commonly translated as "to the entrepreneur" or "for the entrepreneur." In standard Estonian, phrases referring to services, programs, or actions designed for entrepreneurs often use this form.

Examples illustrate its use: "See koolitus on mõeldud ettevõtjale" (This training is intended for the entrepreneur); "Programm on suunatud ettevõtjale" (The program is aimed at the entrepreneur); "Kingitus läks ettevõtjale" (The gift went to the entrepreneur). The plural form is ettevõtjatele, used when referring to multiple entrepreneurs; for instance, "Need ressursid on ettevõtjatele" (These resources are for the entrepreneurs). In official texts and communications addressing the business community, ettevõtjale frequently appears to denote recipients or target groups.

Linguistic notes: the root word is ettevõtja; the plural nominative is ettevõtjad, and the genitive is ettevõtjate. The allative singular attaches the suffix -le, while the plural takes -tele: ettevõtjale vs ettevõtjatele. This form is commonly seen after verbs or prepositions that govern the allative, such as mõeldud, suunatud, or läinud, and it serves to specify the recipient or beneficiary in a sentence.