kuninkaalle

Kuninkaalle is the Finnish allative case form of the noun kuningas, meaning “to the king” or “for the king.” It is formed with the allative suffix -lle and is used to indicate direction toward a recipient or beneficiary in Finnish grammar.

In practice, kuninkaalle expresses movement toward or the designated recipient of an action. It is commonly found in historical, ceremonial, or formal language, and in contexts where the king is the recipient of a gift, message, or duty. The form does not carry a separate meaning beyond its grammatical function; its sense is determined by the verb and context.

Typical usages include sentences such as “Hän antoi lahjan kuninkaalle” (He gave a gift to the king) and “Kirje on lähetetty kuninkaalle” (The letter has been sent to the king). It can also appear in phrases describing actions performed for the king, such as provisions or services intended for royal reception. In modern everyday Finnish, kuninkaalle is less common outside specialized or historical texts, but it remains a correct and recognizable form when the king is the indirect object or beneficiary of an action.

Translations into English hinge on context: kuninkaalle can be rendered as “to the king” or “for the king,” depending on whether the emphasis is on direction toward the king or on the king as the beneficiary of an action. The form is one example of how Finnish uses cases to express syntactic relationships without prepositions.