õpetajal

Õpetajal is the adessive singular form of the Estonian noun õpetaja, meaning teacher. The adessive case marks a location or an indirect object in sentences, and in predicative constructions with the verb on it often conveys a possession-like relation, as in “Õpetajal on palju tööd.”

Examples show its typical use: “Õpetajal on palju tööd” translates to “The teacher has a lot of work.” The plural form is õpetatel, used in corresponding contexts such as “Õpetatel on palju tööd” (The teachers have a lot of work).

To express “to the teacher,” the allative form õpetajale is used, as in “Kink anti õpetajale” (The gift was given to the teacher). The adessive form教 also appears in phrases indicating location or association with the teacher in broader sentences.

Origin and morphology: the noun õpetaja is a teacher’s noun formed from the verb õpetama (to teach) with the agentive suffix -ja. Like other Estonian agentive nouns, its case forms follow regular declension patterns, including the adessive singular õpetajal and the adessive plural õpetatel.

In usage, õpetajal exemplifies how Estonian marks relationships through cases rather than prepositions alone, with the adessive frequently signaling possession or association in predicate constructions and the allative marking direction toward the teacher. This form is common in education-related language and everyday discourse.