ystävälleni

ystävälleni is a Finnish word that functions as the dative/allative form meaning “to my friend.” It is formed from the noun ystävä (friend) with the first-person possessive suffix -ni (my), and the allative marker -lle, which marks direction toward or recipient. The resulting form, ystävälleni, is used to indicate that the recipient of an action is “my friend.”

In Finnish, possessive suffixes attach to the noun before adding case or directional endings. Thus ystävä + ni becomes ystäväni (my friend), and adding the allative -lle yields ystävälleni (to my friend). Related forms exist for other persons: ystävällesi (to your friend) and ystävällenne (to your [plural or polite] friend), among others. The form is commonplace in everyday speech and writing when specifying to whom something is directed or given.

Usage and examples:

- Kirje ystävälleni on valmiina. (The letter to my friend is ready.)

- Lähetän tämän kortin ystävälleni. (I am sending this card to my friend.)

- Hymyilin ystävälleni. (I smiled at my friend.)

Notes:

- The word should not be confused with the adjective ystävällinen, meaning “friendly.” ystävälleni conveys destination or recipient, not a description of character.

- While examples focus on singular “my friend,” parallel forms exist for different persons and numbers as appropriate in Finnish grammar.

See also: Finnish grammar, allative case, possessive suffixes, recipient constructions.