punaiselle

Punaiselle is the allative singular form of the Finnish adjective punainen, meaning red. In Finnish grammar, adjectives decline to agree with the noun they modify in case and number, so punaiselle appears when the noun it describes is in the allative case. The allative marks direction toward something or, in some contexts, a recipient, and it can be used with verbs of movement or giving.

As a result, punaiselle is typically found as part of a noun phrase rather than as a standalone word. Common constructions include:

- punaiselle talolle meaning to the red house

- punaiselle autolle meaning to the red car

- punaisille taloille meaning to the red houses

In these examples, the noun (talo, auto, taloille) carries the allative ending, while the preceding adjective punainen is inflected to match in number and case, yielding punaiselle or punaisille.

Usage notes:

- The form punaiselle is used with singular nouns in the allative; punaisille is used with plural nouns.

- The allative expresses destination or recipient and can be used with a variety of verbs, such as going to, giving to, or pointing toward a red object.

- In everyday language, the color adjective helps specify which object is being referred to, often in settings like descriptions of objects, places, or arrangements.

See also: Finnish grammar, adjectives in Finnish, allative case.