tavoitteeseen

Tavoitteeseen is the illative singular form of the Finnish noun tavoite, meaning a goal or objective. In Finnish, the illative case marks movement into or toward something, or a figurative direction toward an aim. Therefore tavoitteeseen can be translated as “to the goal” or “toward the goal.” It is used when a sentence describes moving toward a goal or directing actions toward achieving it. The form is common in planning, project management, sports, and education when discussing aims and milestones.

Formation and usage: The illative suffix -eeseen attaches to the stem tavoite to form tavoitteeseen. The corresponding plural illative is tavoitteisiin (to the goals). The illative expresses motion into or toward a referent, including abstract concepts like a goal. In sentences, tavoitteeseen often appears with verbs that indicate aiming or pursuing, such as tähtäävä, tähtää, pyrkii, edistyy, etc. A typical example is toimenpiteet tähtäävät tavoitteeseen, meaning “the measures aim at the goal.”

Semantic notes: In addition to literal movement toward a target, tavoitteeseen is frequently used metaphorically to describe progress toward an outcome or result. It commonly occurs in strategic, organizational, and motivational contexts, where clear aims guide planning and evaluation. The concept connects to related terms such as tavoite (the goal), tavoitteet (the goals), and the adjective tavoitteellinen (goal-oriented).

Related terms: tavoite, tavoitteet, tavoitteellinen.