nõudele

Nõudele is the Estonian allative singular form of the noun nõue, which means a claim, demand or requirement. In Estonian grammar, the allative case marks direction toward something or the target of an action related to the noun. Therefore, nõudele translates roughly as “to the demand” or “to the requirement,” depending on the context.

Usage of nõudele appears mainly in formal, legal and administrative language. It is used when referring to a specific demand or obligation that is the object of action, or in phrases describing compliance, response or handling of obligations. The plural form nõuetele denotes “to the demands” or “to the requirements” and is common in contexts involving multiple obligations. A well-known collocation is nõuetele vastama, meaning to comply with the requirements; another related expression is nõudeid täitma, meaning to fulfill the demands.

Morphology and related forms: The base noun nõue forms several cases, including nominative nõue, genitive nõude, partitive nõuet, and allative nõudele. The plural nouns take corresponding forms: nominative nõuded, genitive nõuete, partitive nõudeid, and allative nõuetele. The allative suffix is -le in the singular and -tele in the plural.

Etymology and usage notes: Nõue originates in Estonian and belongs to the broader Finno-Ugric linguistic family. The term is most often encountered in contexts involving rules, standards, contracts or legal claims, where it plays a role in describing obligations or conditions that are directed at or addressed to a party.