Buffer Consonant 'y'

In native Turkish words, two vowels generally do not appear side by side (loanwords such as saat, şiir and aile are exceptions), and when a suffix is added, two vowels are not allowed to meet. Buffer consonants (kaynaştırma ünsüzleri) are inserted to prevent this. The most common buffer consonant is 'y'.

Primary Uses of Buffer Consonant 'y':

The buffer consonant 'y' is primarily used when a noun ending in a vowel is followed by a case suffix that begins with a vowel.

1. With the Accusative Case Suffix (-ı, -i, -u, -ü):

If a noun ends in a vowel, and you add the accusative suffix:

• kedi (cat) + -i → kediyi (the cat)
• araba (car) + -ı → arabayı (the car)
• kapı (door) + -ı → kapıyı (the door)
• kutu (box) + -u → kutuyu (the box)
• ütü (iron) + -ü → ütüyü (the iron)

2. With the Dative Case Suffix (-a, -e):

If a noun ends in a vowel, and you add the dative suffix:

• anne (mother) + -e → anneye (to the mother)
• baba (father) + -a → babaya (to the father)
• kuzu (lamb) + -a → kuzuya (to the lamb)
• su (water) + -a → suya (to the water)

3. With Other Vowel-initial Suffixes:

The same y appears with many verb and personal suffixes:

• 'to be' endings: hasta + -ım → hastayım (I am ill)
• instrumental -(y)la: arabayla (by car)
• future -(y)acak: oku + -acak → okuyacak (will read)
• polite imperative -(y)ın: okuyun (read (please))
• -(y)ken: çocukken (as a child), but hastayken (while ill)

Note: su (water) also uses y with the 3rd-person possessive: suyu (its water), not 'susu'.

Other Important Buffer Consonants:

While 'y' is very common, be aware of other buffer consonants used in different situations:

• 'n': Often used with the Genitive case suffix (-ın, -in, -un, -ün) when the noun ends in a vowel.
  Example: araba + -ın → arabanın (of the car)
• 's': Typically used with the 3rd person possessive suffix (-ı, -i, -u, -ü) when the noun ends in a vowel.
  Example: araba + -ı → arabası (his/her/its car)

Common Mistakes

• ✗ arabayın → ✓ arabanın (of the car) (genitive uses n)
• ✗ arabayı for 'his car' → ✓ arabası (arabayı is the accusative 'the car')
• ✗ arabasıya → ✓ arabasına (after a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n)
• ✗ evye → ✓ eve (no buffer after a consonant)