meestele

Meestele is an Estonian grammatical form, specifically the plural allative of the noun mees (man). In Estonian, the allative case marks direction toward or recipient, and meestele translates to “to the men” or “for the men” in English. The form is used when the recipient of an action is a group of men.

Morphology and usage

Meestele is formed from the singular stem of mees with the allative plural ending. It is not a standalone noun, but a case form used to indicate the indirect object or recipient in a sentence. In practice, meestele often appears with verbs of giving, presenting, or directing something toward a group of men.

Examples

- Ma annan raamatud meestele. (I give the books to the men.)

- Need kingitused on tehtud meestele. (These gifts are for the men.)

- Kõikidest soovitustest kõige olulisemad on meestele mõeldud tooted. (All recommendations of interest are products for men.)

Relation to other forms

Meestele contrasts with mehele (to a man) and meeste (genitive plural, “of the men”). Estonian relies on vōrice-case endings to convey meaning, so meestele functions through the allative plural ending rather than through prepositions alone.

See also

Estonian grammar and case system; other allative forms like mehele (to a man) and meeste (of the men) illustrate how case endings signal relationships in sentences.