personaalne

Personaalne is an Estonian adjective that denotes a relation to a person, private or individualized, and is often used to describe things that are tailored to an individual or emphasize the person as a focus. In everyday language, isiklik is more common for private life or private information, while personaalne appears more in formal, technical, or marketing contexts to signal personalization or individuality.

Etymology and form: The word stems from the Latin personalis “of a person” and entered Estonian through European linguistic influence in the modern period. Like other Estonian adjectives, personaalne forms its endings to agree with the noun in number and case, and it participates in the standard adjective inflection patterns.

Usage: In business and marketing, personaalne is used in phrases such as personaalne lähenemine (personalized approach) or personaalne teenus (personalized service). In data protection and everyday speech, speakers more often use isikuandmed to mean personal data, or isiklik to describe private characteristics. Thus personaalne tends to emphasize customization or the personal aspect in professional or formal discourse.

Examples: Ettevõte pakub personaalset teenust. Kasutajal on personaalne profiil. See on personaalne vaade asjale.

See also: related terms include isik, isikuandmed, and isiklik, which cover personal data, personal life, and private attributes, respectively.