Esimies pyysi konkreettista esimerkkiä kehityskohteesta.

Pyysi is the past tense of the verb pyytää (to ask for / to request).

• pyytää = to ask for, to request
• pyysi = asked for, requested

So:

• Esimies pyysi... = The supervisor asked for...

This is the 3rd person singular past tense, because esimies (supervisor/manager) is singular.

Esimies means supervisor, manager, or boss, depending on context.

In this sentence, esimies is the subject, so it is in the nominative singular, which is also the dictionary form.

• esimies = supervisor / manager
• no special ending here, because subjects are often in the nominative

So:

• Esimies pyysi... = The supervisor requested...

A useful note: in modern Finnish, some people prefer more gender-neutral alternatives such as esihenkilö, but esimies is still very common.

They are in the partitive singular because the thing being requested is treated as an indefinite, non-specific object: a concrete example.

Forms:

• konkreettinen → konkreettista
• esimerkki → esimerkkiä

In Finnish, the object of a verb can be in different cases. With pyytää, the partitive is very common when you are asking for something unspecified, some amount of something, or an example/suggestion/information in a general sense.

So konkreettista esimerkkiä feels like:

• a concrete example
• some concrete example
• a concrete example, please

The adjective must agree with the noun, so both are in the same case:

• konkreettista esimerkkiä

Yes, that is possible, but the nuance changes.

• konkreettista esimerkkiä = partitive
• konkreettisen esimerkin = total object form

Very roughly:

• pyysi konkreettista esimerkkiä = asked for a concrete example, in a more general or indefinite sense
• pyysi konkreettisen esimerkin = asked for one concrete example / the concrete example, more bounded or more specific

In many learning contexts, the partitive version is the more natural choice when someone is simply requesting an example during a discussion.

So the sentence as given sounds like:

• The supervisor asked for a concrete example of an area needing development.

The ending -sta / -stä is the elative case, which often means out of, from, or in many contexts about / of.

Here:

• kehityskohde = development target, area for improvement
• kehityskohteesta = from an area for improvement / more naturally here of an area for improvement

In this sentence, kehityskohteesta tells us what kind of example was requested:

• esimerkkiä kehityskohteesta = an example of an area for improvement

So although the elative often has a literal from meaning, in this kind of structure it is often best translated more naturally as of or about.

The basic form is kehityskohde.

It is a compound word:

• kehitys = development
• kohde = target, object, focus, item

Together:

• kehityskohde = development target, area for development, or more naturally in workplace English, area for improvement

Then the elative ending is added:

• kehityskohde → kehityskohteesta

Notice that in compounds, the first part often modifies the second part, just like in English.

The phrase breaks down like this:

• konkreettista modifies esimerkkiä
• kehityskohteesta further specifies esimerkkiä

So the structure is:

• [konkreettista esimerkkiä] [kehityskohteesta]
• literally: [concrete example-PART] [of/from development-area-ELA]

In smoother English:

• a concrete example of an area for improvement

So kehityskohteesta is not describing esimies or pyysi directly. It is connected to esimerkkiä.

Finnish normally does not use articles like a, an, or the.

So:

• esimies can mean the supervisor or a supervisor
• esimerkkiä can mean an example or, depending on context, something article-like that English would express differently

The exact meaning is understood from context.

In this sentence, English naturally uses:

• The supervisor asked for a concrete example of an area for improvement.

But Finnish does not need separate words for the and a.

The given word order is the most neutral and natural one:

• Esimies pyysi konkreettista esimerkkiä kehityskohteesta.

Finnish word order is fairly flexible, but changing it changes the focus or emphasis.

For example:

• Konkreettista esimerkkiä kehityskohteesta esimies pyysi.
  = emphasizes what was requested

• Kehityskohteesta esimies pyysi konkreettista esimerkkiä.
  = emphasizes the area for improvement part

Even though these are possible, the original sentence is the best basic version for learners to copy.

Pyytää is a common verb meaning to ask for, to request, or sometimes to ask someone to do something.

Yes, it often appears with a partitive object, especially when the requested thing is:

• indefinite
• uncountable
• general
• just being asked for, not presented as a fully bounded item

Examples:

• Pyysin apua. = I asked for help.
• Hän pyysi vettä. = He/she asked for water.
• Esimies pyysi konkreettista esimerkkiä. = The supervisor asked for a concrete example.

But like many Finnish verbs, the object case can vary depending on meaning and aspect.

Yes, especially in workplace, school, feedback, and self-evaluation contexts.

It often refers to something that could be improved:

• a skill to develop
• a weak point
• an area needing improvement

So in workplace English, kehityskohde is often best translated not literally as development target, but more naturally as:

• area for improvement
• development area

That is why the sentence sounds natural in a performance review or feedback discussion.