kellele

Kellele is an Estonian pronoun form used to ask about or refer to the recipient or beneficiary of an action. It functions as the to- or for- whom construction in questions and in relative clauses.

In Estonian, kellele is formed from the interrogative pronoun kelle (whose) combined with the allative/dative suffix -le, marking direction or a recipient. This makes kellele the standard form for phrases like “to whom” or “for whom.” It is distinct from kelle, which appears in other cases or in possessive questions, and from kes/keda which appear in different interrogative roles.

Kellele is commonly used in direct questions, such as:

- Kellele see kiri on adresseeritud? (To whom is this letter addressed?)

- Kellele sa selle kingituse annad? (To whom will you give this gift?)

It also occurs in relative clauses, for example:

- Inimene, kellele see kiri on adresseeritud, on mu kolleeg. (The person to whom this letter is addressed is my colleague.)

Usage notes:

- kellele typically asks about recipients, beneficiaries, or indirect objects, rather than about the owner of something.

- In formal and written Estonian, kellele appears frequently in interrogative and relative structures; in everyday speech, similar constructions with other case forms may occasionally be heard, but kellele remains standard for the “to/for whom” sense.

See also:

- Kes and kelle as base interrogatives

- Allative/dative case in Estonian grammar