Grammar
- Verb Stems & Infinitives
- Person Suffixes
- Present Simple / Aorist (-r)
- Present Continuous (-iyor)
- Past Simple / Definite Past (-di)
- Past Continuous / Imperfect (-iyordu)
- Future Tense (-ecek/-acak)
- Narrative/Reported Past (-miş)
- Imperative Mood
- Optative Mood (-e)
- Necessitative Mood (-meli/-malı)
- Conditional Mood (-se/-sa)
- Ability (-ebilmek/-abilmek)
- Negation (-me/-ma)
- Questions (-mi?)
- Passive Voice (-il/-in)
- Causative Voice (-dir, -t, etc.)
- Verbal Nouns (-me, -mek, -iş)
- Participles (Sıfat-Fiiller)
- Gerunds / Adverbial Clauses
Grammar
Possessive Suffixes
CEFR level: A1 · Topic: Nouns & Noun Phrases
Possessive Suffixes (İyelik Ekleri) are attached directly to a noun to indicate who owns it or to whom it belongs (my, your, his/her/its, our, your (plural/formal), their). These are different from the genitive case suffix, which marks the possessor noun itself. Possessive suffixes mark the possessed noun.
They are crucial for forming possessive constructions, often used as the second part of a "isim tamlaması" (noun compound) after a noun in the genitive case, or they can stand alone.
Suffixes (using "ev" - house as an example):
| Person | Suffix (after consonant) | Example (ev - house) | Suffix (after vowel) | Example (araba - car) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Sing. (my) | -im, -ım, -um, -üm | evim (my house) | -m | arabam (my car) |
| 2nd Sing. (your) | -in, -ın, -un, -ün | evin (your house) | -n | araban (your car) |
| 3rd Sing. (his/her/its) | -i, -ı, -u, -ü | evi (his/her/its house) | -si, -sı, -su, -sü (buffer 's') | arabası (his/her/its car) |
| 1st Plural (our) | -imiz, -ımız, -umuz, -ümüz | evimiz (our house) | -miz, -mız, -muz, -müz | arabamız (our car) |
| 2nd Plural (your) | -iniz, -ınız, -unuz, -ünüz | eviniz (your house) | -niz, -nız, -nuz, -nüz | arabanız (your car) |
| 3rd Plural (their) | -leri, -ları | evleri (their house/houses) | -leri, -ları | arabaları (their car/cars) |
Vowel harmony (I-type for most, A-type for 3rd plural) and consonant softening apply as usual. Because the suffix already shows the owner, the pronoun is often dropped: (benim) evim (my house).
Examples:
- kitabım (my book)
- annen (your mother)
- okulu (his/her school)
- köpeğimiz (our dog - from köpek)
- odanız (your room)
- çocukları (their child / their children)
- kedisi (his/her cat - buffer 's' after vowel 'i' in kedi)
Things to Watch
- Vowel dropping: some two-syllable nouns lose their second vowel before a vowel-initial suffix: ağız → ağzım (my mouth), burun → burnum (my nose), oğul → oğlum (my son), isim → ismim (my name).
- su (water) uses y: suyum (my water), suyu (his/her water) (not 'susu').
- Case after the 3rd person: an n is added before a case suffix: evi → evinde (in his/her house), arabası → arabasına (to his/her car).
- 3rd plural: kitapları can mean 'their book', 'their books' or 'his/her books'; context decides.
Common Mistakes
- ✗ kitapım → ✓ kitabım (softening)
- ✗ arabaı for 'his car' → ✓ arabası (buffer s)
- ✗ ağızım → ✓ ağzım (vowel dropping)
- ✗ arabasıda → ✓ arabasında (buffer n before a case suffix)
Practice Zone
1. How do you say 'my book' if 'kitap' means book?
2. How do you say 'your (informal singular) car' if 'araba' means car?