Turkish Language - The Main Suffixes

Suffixes are sometimes called postpositions in grammar, unlike English prepositions (those little words, in, on, of, by, etc.,) in Turkish they are suffixed directly to the noun that they modify, which has the effect of forming a new complete word.

Suffixes and Vowel Harmony

In English we have many words which agglutinate (extend) to form other words. If we take the simple word - argue - then we can agglutinate it to - argument - by sticking on a -ment suffix. We can further agglutinate this word with other suffixes viz.: -ative giving argumentative - and even further to - argumentatively by adding a further -ly suffix. This then is the way of Turkish but even the little words like - in.. from.. at.. - are suffixed to their noun - thus producing an extended word.

Then adding suffix -de - in.. on.. at.. and suffix -dan - from..
ev - house
evde [ev-de] - in the house
evden [ev-den] - from the house

Most suffixes follow the - Rule of Vowel Harmony - so there can be both an A-UnDotted Vowel Form - A I O U - and an E-Dotted Vowel Form - E İ Ö Ü - for the same suffix. Similarly adding suffix -da - in.. on.. at..
oda - room
odada [oda-da] - in the room
odadan [oda-dan] - from the room

The six Noun Conditions

A nominative case which carries no suffix and five conditions each with a typical ending. The vowels of the suffix must match final vowel the base word (vowel harmony) and the initial consonant of the suffix may change according to consonant mutation rules

The suffixes of the Noun Conditions are: (Page links below)

(1) Subjective: the noun in its root form without a suffix. - The Subjective Condition is the subject of a sentence. (called the nominative in classical grammar)

(2) Objective: - suffix -i/-ı/-u/-ü or -yi/-yı/-yu/-yü when affixed to words ending in a vowel or -ni/-nı/-nu/-nü when affixed to already extended words ending in a vowel. The Objective - is the direct object of a verb - it equates to - the.. - in English.. (the accusative)

(3) Movement Towards: - suffix -a/-e or -ya/-ye when affixed direct to word ending in a vowel -ne/-na when affixed to already extended words ending in a vowel.. Movement Towards - equates to - to., towards.. - in English.. (the dative)

(4) Static: -suffix -da/-de or -ta/-te - according to Consonant Mutation rules. The Static is the condition of place - it equates to - in.. on.. at.. - in English.. (the locative)

(5) Movement Away: - suffix -dan/-den or -tan/-ten - according to Consonant Mutation rules. Movement Away - it equates to - from.. by.. via.. - in English.. (the ablative)

(6)Ownership: - suffix -in/-ın/-un/-ün or -nin/-nın/-nun/-nün when affixed to already extended words ending in a vowel - Ownership signifies that the noun "owns" something..(the genitive)

There are three other suffixes which can be applied to nouns
(7) With.. - suffix -le/-la or -yle/-yla after vowels [It can also stand alone as a separate word - ile]. This suffix means with.. and.. also..

(8) Without.. lacking... - suffix -siz/-sız/-suz/-süz. This suffix gives the sense of lacking....

(9) Furnished with.. containing.. - suffix -li/-lı/-lu/-lü - This suffix gives the sense of belonging to somewhere or being contained in something.

The Subject Condition

There is no Turkish word for the Subject Definite Article - only the context tells us when to insert "The" in English:
çay pahalı - Tea is expensive
çay soğuk - The tea is cold
araba caddede - The car is in the road
The subject can be non-specific or made specific in English with insertion of the definite article - "the.."

The Object Condition

When the noun is an object of a verb as in - Mehmet mended the radio - then Turkish does use an objective (accusative) suffix "the". Let us content ourselves to say that the subject definite article "the" does not (as a word) exist in Turkish, but it does exist as a suffix to specify the object of a verb.

We have to realize that in English we make both the subject and object of a sentence substantive by the use of the same definite article - the.. - as an example:
Adam kapıyı (kapı-yı) kapattı - The man closed the door

We have learnt elsewhere that the subject is already understood as substantive in Turkish - so it does not need a definite article. In fact the subject definite article - "the" - does not exist in Turkish - there is no "The man" as the subject definite article "the" is already understood in context. However there is an object definite article "the" in Turkish which appears as the suffix -i, according to vowel harmony:

Formation of the Objective

The object specifier has the form of a suffix (governed by vowel harmony):
-i/-ı/-u/-ü is used with root nouns which end in a consonant or used with extended [already suffixed] nouns which end in a consonant
-yi/-yı/-yu/-yü [buffer letter -y] is only used with root nouns which end in a vowel.
-ni/-nı/-nu/-nü [buffer letter -n] is only used with extended [already suffixed] nouns ending in a vowel.

The Direct Object Pointer suffix -i, -ı, -u, -ü is suffixed directly to all root words which end in a consonant:
ev - house, the house - evi [ev-i] - the house (obj.)
sokak - street, the street - sokağı [sokağ-ı] - the street (obj.)
gül - rose, the rose - gülü [gül-ü] - the rose (obj.)

It is also suffixed to extended (already suffixed) nouns which end in a consonant:
evim - my house - evimi [ev-im-i] - my house (obj.)
sokağın - your street - sokağını [sokağ-ın-ı] - your street (obj.) - (Note: sokak shows -k to -ğ consonant mutation here)
güller - roses - gülleri [gül-ler-i]- the roses (obj.)

It always takes buffer letter -y to become -yi, -yı, -yu, -yü - when added to a root word which ends in a vowel:
kedi - cat, the cat - kediyi [kedi-yi] - the cat - as an object of a verb
banka - bank, the bank - bankayı [banka-yı] - the bank - as the object.
kutu - box, the box - kutuyu [kutu-yu] - the box (obj.)
The buffer letter -y- is only used with simple nouns ending in a vowel which have not already been suffixed.

But it takes buffer letter -n- to become -ni, -nı, -nu, -nü when added as a second suffix to an already extended noun.
kedisi - his/her cat - kedisini - his/her cat - as an object
bankası - his/her bank - bankasını - his/her bank - an object.
This shift of buffer letter - y to n - enables the listener to discern that the word is already agglutinated (extended) by previous suffixes. To reiterate: The buffer letter -n- is only used on already extended (suffixed) nouns.

Nouns both bare and extended ending in a consonant.
Adam kilidi (kilid-i) kapattı - THE man locked THE lock
(The -i suffix makes the bare noun - THE LOCK - substantive as a Direct Object
Adam kilidimi (kilid-im-i) kapattı - THE man locked MY lock
(The -i suffix makes the extended noun - MY LOCK - substantive as a Direct Object

Nouns both bare and extended ending in a vowel
Adam kapıyı (kapı-yı) kapattı - THE man closed THE door
(The -yı suffix makes the bare noun - THE DOOR - substantive as a Direct Object
Adam kapısını (kapı-sı-nı) kapattı - THE man closed HIS door
(The -nı suffix makes the extended (already suffixed) noun- HIS DOOR - substantive as a Direct Object
The Direct Object Suffix which makes the object substantive is one of the most difficult hurdles for English speakers to surmount when talking, reading, listening and understanding The Turkish Language.

Motion Towards Condition

Formation of the Motion Towards Condition
Motion towards has the form of a suffix (governed by vowel harmony):
-e/-a is used with root nouns which end in a consonant or used with extended [already suffixed] nouns which end in a consonant
-ye/-ya [buffer letter -y] is only used with root nouns which end in a vowel.
-ne/-na [buffer letter -n] is only used with extended [already suffixed] nouns ending in a vowel.

The Motion Towards suffix -a or -e - to, towards is suffixed directly to all root words which end in a consonant:
ev - house, the house - eve [ev-e] - to the house
sokak - street, the street - sokağa [sokağ-a] - to the street
gül - rose, the rose - güle [güle] - to the rose

It is also suffixed to extended (already suffixed) nouns which end in a consonant:
evim - my house - evime [ev-im-e] - to my house
sokağın - your street - sokağına [sokağ-ın-a] - to your street
güller - roses - güllere [gül-ler-e]- to the roses

This takes buffer letter -y- when added directly as the first suffix to a root word which ends in a vowel - thus taking the form -ye, -ya
kedi - cat, the cat - kediye [kedi-ye] - to the cat
banka - bank, the bank - bankaya [banka-ya] - to the bank

But it takes buffer letter -n- when added as a second suffix to an already extended noun - thus taking the form -ne, -na.
kedi - cat, the cat - kedisi [kedi-si] - his cat - kedisine [kedi-si-ne] - to his cat
baba - father, the father - babaları [baba-ları] - their father - babalarına [baba-ları-na] - to their father
This shift of Buffer Letter -y to -n helps the listener to discern that that noun has already been extended by a previous suffix. To reiterate: The buffer letter -n- is only used on already extended (suffixed) nouns.

The suffix -e , -ye or -a, -ya - to.. towards..
adama - [adam-a] - to the man
adamlara - [adamlar-a] - to the men
kediye - [kedi-ye] - to the cat
kedi - cat - ends in a vowel so "kedi-y-e" is used - [kedi-e] - would be incorrect.
kedilere - [kediler-e] - to the cats
eve - [ev-e] - to home
evlere - [evler-e] - to the houses
kapıya - [kapı-ya] - to the door
kapı - door - ends in a vowel so "kapı-y-a" is used - [kapı-a] - would be incorrect
kapılara - [kapılar-a] - to the doors

Dependent Adverbs

These adverbs require that the preceding noun have the Motion Towards (dative) -e/-a -ye/-ya - to/toward suffix:
-e nazaran - in regard to, compared with.
-e kadar - up to, until, as far as.
-e rağmen - in spite of.. (in positive sentences), despite... (in negative sentences)
-e doğru - straight toward.
-e göre - according to.
-e karşı - against.

işinize nazaran - [iş-iniz-e nazaran] - with regard to your work

Yeni plana nazaran evimizin arka bahçesi küçültülecekmiş. - [küçül-t-ül-ecek-miş - seemingly-will-be-made-small] - According to the new plan our back garden wil be made smaller.

şimdiye kadar - [şimdi-ye kadar] - up to now.

Gelecek pazar güne kadar bekleyelim. - Let us wait until next Sunday.

Ankara'ya kadar - as far as Ankara

Çarşıya kadar gidiyorum. - I am going as far as the shops.

buna rağmen - [bu-na rağmen] - in spite of this [positive sentence]

Peugeot krize rağmen (kriz-e rağmen) Türkiye'ye yatırım projesini sürdürüyor. - In spite of the Peugeot crisis the investment project is still carrying on for Turkey

Peugeot crisis [hover mouse here]

buna rağmen - [bu-na rağmen] - despite [negative sentence]

Kalan benzinimiz olmamasına rağmen (olmamasın-a rağmen) bir garaj bulmalıyız - Despite us not having petrol left we must (still) find a garage.

bankaya doğru - [banka-ya doğru] - straight to the bank

Evden okula doğru gidin. - Go straight to school from home.

sana göre - [san-a göre] - according to you

Bu gazeteye göre hiç yeni haberı daha çıkmamış. - According to this newspaper no more new news has happened yet.

duvara karşı - [duvar-a karşı] - against the wall

Garajın kapısına karşı bisikletimi bırakmışım. - I believe I left my bicycle against the garage door.

Static Condition (Locative)

The Static (Locative) Suffix de or da - in.. on.. at.., this suffix -de/-da and it shows concrete place (location):
odadayım - [oda-da-yım]- I am in the room
Ali bey, evdeymiş. -[ev-de-ymiş] - Ali bey must be at home [-imiş inference]
adamda - [adam-da] - on the man
adamlarda - [adam-lar-da] - on the men
kedide - [kedi-de] - on the cat
kedilerde - [kedi-ler-de] - on the cats
evde - [ev-de] - at home
evlerde - [ev-ler-de] - at the houses
kapıda - [kapı-da] - at the door
kapılarda - [kapı-lar-da] - at/by the doors
köprüde - [köprü-de] - on the bridge
köprülerde - [köprü-ler-de] - on the bridges
odada - [oda-da] - in the room
odalarda - [oda-lar-da] - in the rooms

You can see that in the plural we have added two suffixes -ler and -de or - -lar and -da - and tagged them altogether to make one word in Turkish.

Movement Away (Ablative)

The suffix -den or -dan - from.. by.. via.. through..
adamdan - [adam-dan] - from the man
adamlardan - [adamlar-da] - from the men
kediden - [kedi-den] - from the cat
kedilerden - [kediler-den] - from the cats
evden - [ev-den] - from home
evlerden - [evler-den] - from the houses
kapıdan - [kapı-dan] - from the door
kapılardan - [kapılar-dan] - from the doors
köprüden - [köprü-den] - from the bridge
köprülerden - [köprüler-den] - from the bridges
odadan - [oda-dan] - from the room
odalardan - [odalar-dan] - from the rooms

You can see that in the plural we have added two suffixes -ler and -den or -lar and -dan and tagged them altogether to make one word in Turkish.

Dependent Adverbs

These adverbs require that the preceding noun have the motion away -den/-dan, -ten/-tan - from - suffix:
-dan dolayı - because of.
-dan başka - except for, apart from, other than.
-dan beri - since.
-dan evvel - before (in time).
-dan sonra - after.

Bundan dolayı - because of this

Mehmet'in yaptıktan dolayı asla başarmayız - Because of what Mehmet did we will never succeed.

The Simple Present - Hover your mouse here:

Uncertain - Timeless - Future
The Simple Present is also used for future events which are not timed.
Saatin altında seni beklerim - I'll be waiting under the clock for you.
İki gecelik bir oda tutarız (alırız) - We will take a room for two nights.
Parkın yanındaki bankayı tabii ki bulursunuz - You'll find the bank all right, next to the Park.
Yarın ofiste buluşuruz - We'll see each other in the office tomorrow.

ondan başka - except for that

Piyanomdan başka herşeyi geri bıralacağım - Except for my piano I will leave everything behind

Ondan beri - since then

saat üçten beri - since 3 o'clock. - (üç-ten beri)
saat üçten beri sizi arıyordum. - I have been looking for you since three o'clock
Geçen haftadan beri hasta oldum. - I have been ill since last week.

şundan evvel - before (in time) that

Mayıs ayından evvel mühendis olarak çalışmakta bulunuyordum. - Before May I was working as an engineer.

Ondan sonra - after that

Haziran ayından sonra işimden emekli oluyordum. - After July I retired from my work.
saat üçten beri - since 3 o'clock. - (üç-ten beri)

The Suffix of Ownership

The form of the ownership suffix is: -in or -nin - [using buffer letter -n-] - when added to words which already end in a vowel, meaning - of, belonging to. This suffix is used for ownership. The grammarians call this the Genitive Case. This suffix is also used grammatically in Turkish to form the Possessive Relationship, which is very important in the Turkish Language.

The Possessive Relationship is dealt with at length elsewhere. For the moment let us content ourselves with the Genitive of Ownership. The sign of this suffix is -in which is added to the noun, singular, plural or extended forms. It is of course subject to Vowel Harmony and causes Consonant Mutation. Thus the Vowel Harmonized forms become - -in -ın -ün -un - of , belonging to..

A sole exception
The word - su - water. The translation for - of the water - is not - "sunun" , it is - suyun - buffer letter -y is always used with the word - su - water. This exception also applies to the Possessed Case you cannot say for - Fruit Juice - "Meyve Susu" as the buffer letter -y- is always used with the word - su - water - so - Meyve Suyu - is the correct way to say - Fruit Juice.

Formation of the Ownership Suffix
The suffix -in/-ın/-un/-ün is added to the noun.
ev -   - house
evin - [ev-in] - the house's, of the house
evimin - [ev-im-in] - my house's, of my house
evinin - [ev-in-in] - your house's, of your house
memurun - [memur-un] - the official's, of the official
gözün - [göz-ün] - the eye's, of the eye
gözlerimin - [göz-ler-im-in] - my eyes, of my eyes
akşamın - [akşam-ın] - the evenings's, of the evening
tavuğun - [tavuğ-un] - the chicken's, of the chicken
bakkalın - [bakkal-ın] - the grocer's, of the grocer

It can be seen from the above that the Plural Suffix is added as first suffix. The Possessive Adjective is added second if and finally the Genitive Suffix indicating Ownership or Possession.

The Ownership Suffix - Nouns ending in Vowels
The Suffix changes to -nin/-nın/-nun/-nün - of or belonging to - using buffer -n- in order to keep two vowels apart
kedinin - [kedi-n-in] - of the cat, the cat's
kedilerinin - [kedi-leri-n-in] - their cat's, of their cat
kedisinin - [kedi-si-n-in] - of his cat, his cat's
bankanın - [banka-n-ın] - the bank's
bankasının - [banka-sı-n-ın] - his bank's
köprünün - [köprü-n-ün] - the bridge's
Ali 'nin - [Ali-'n-in] - Ali's
Londra 'nın - [Londra-'n-ın] - London's

All suffixes are written apart from any Proper Name which begins with a capital letter - the last two examples above show this accordingly

Extended words (already suffixed)
The suffix -in -ın -ün -un - of , belonging to.. always takes buffer letter -n- to become -nin -nın -nün -nun - when added either to a root word or to an extended word which ends in a vowel.
kedinin - [kedi-nin] - the cat's - kedisinin - [kedi-si-nin] - his cat's
bankanın - of the bank - bankasının - of his bank
arabanın - the car's - arabasının - his car's..
Ali 'nin - Ali 's - Ayşe 'nin - Ayshe 's
köprünün - of the bridge - köprülerinin - of their bridges

The suffix -in always becomes -nin whether suffixed to a Simple Noun or to an already suffixed noun.

The With Condition

The Suffix -le -la - with, and, also
The word for - with - in Turkish is - ile - this is one word which can stand on its own after the word it modifies. In which case it does not follow vowel harmony rules but is always written and spoken - ile.
Mehmed ile - [Mehmed ile] - with Mehmet
Mehmet'le - [Mehmet-'le] - with Mehmet
gözlerim ile - [gözler-im ile] - with my eyes
gözlerimle - [gözler-im-le] - with my eyes
domuzla - [domuz-la] - with the pig
domuz ile - [domuz ile] - with a (any) pig
domuzu ile - [domuz-u ile] - with the pig
arkadaşınla - [arkadaş-ın-la] - with your friend
arkadaşın ile - [arkadaş-ın ile] - with your friend

However as it can also be suffixed to the word in which case it does follow vowel harmony rules but drops the initial -i of ile and becomes -le -la. Which form to use - suffixed or stand-alone - is up to personal choice.

Using - ile - with words which end in a vowel
When adding - ile - to words that end in a vowel the initial letter -i of -ile changes to a buffer letter -y in order to keep two vowels apart - thus the forms -yla and -yle are used.
paltosuyla - [palto-su-yla] - with his overcoat
bir arabayla - [bir araba-yla] - with a car
kediyle - [kedi-yle] - with the cat
kedisiyle - [kedi-si-yle] - with his cat
iskemleyle - [iskemle-yle] - with the chair
eliyle - [el-i-yle] - with his hand
elleriyle - [eller-i-yle] - with his hands
babasıyla - [baba-sı-yla] - with his father

If the suffixed form is used then it changes to -yle -yla after vowels. As previously stated, whether to use ile as - stand alone - or as a - suffix - is a free choice of the speaker or writer, but there is a minor change in the meaning: - (see the last four examples which show this difference in the next section below.)

Translation of - ile - and, also
This full detatched suffix - ile - is used to translate - and.. - when the basic meaning is - with.., also....
But when it is suffixed as -le/-la or -yle -yla [when aded to vowel] - then it is translated as - and.., together with..
Benimle Mehmet geldi - Mehmet and I came. - [Lit: With me Mehmet came.]
Masada fincanla tabaklar var - There are cups and plates on the table.
Ali ile arkadaşı , odaya girdi - Ali entered the room with his friend.
Ali arkadaşıyla , odaya girdi - Ali and his friend entered the room.
Mustafa ile Selim partiye gitti - Mustapha went to the party with Selim.
Mustafa, Selim 'le partiye gitti - Mustapha and Selim went to the party.

The Lacking Condition

The Suffix -siz -sız -süz -suz - without.. un-.. non-.. -less, dis-..
This suffix gives the sense of lacking.... It can sometimes be translated as un... as in unavailable or ...less - as in worthless or dis... as in distaste in English.
ehliyet - licence - ehliyetsiz - unlicensed [ehliyetli - licensed]
renk - colour - renksiz - colourless [renkli - coloured]
sabır - patience - sabırsız - impatient [sabırlı - patient]
işaret - sign - işaretsiz - unsigned [işaretli - signed]
ses - noise - sessiz - noiseless [sesli - noisy]
şeker - sugar - şekersiz - unsugared [şekerli - sugared, sweetened]
namus - honesty - namussuz - dishonest [namuslu - honest]
Bir çay, şekersiz olsun, lütfen - A tea, no sugar, please
Sonsuz bir yolculuk gibiydi - It was like an endless journey
Sensiz gidiyorum - I'm going without you
Değersiz bir saat aldım - I bought a worthless watch
İçkisiz bir aile gazinosuna gittik - We went to a non-alcoholic family restaurant
- Note: içkisiz - without alcoholic drinks - [ie: Alcohol is not served]

We can form plural nouns by adding the -ler or -lar plural suffix to an adjective:
sabırsızlar - the impatient ones
şekersizler - the unsugared ones
renksizler - the uncoloured ones

The Containing Condition

The Suffix -li -lı -lü -lu - originating from.., furnished with..
This suffix gives the sense of belonging to something or somewhere, it is widely used with place names - especially to say where one is from. The -li suffix is not separated from a Proper Noun by an apostrophe as other suffixes generally are - "Londra'lı" would be incorrect - Londralı is correct
Londralı - [Londra-lı] - a Londoner
Londralılar - [Londra-lı-lar] - Londoners
İstanbullu - [İstanbul-lu] - an Istanbuli
İstanbullular - [İstanbul-lu-lar] - Istanbulis
İngiltereliyim - [İngiltere-li-yim] - I am from England
Bolulu - [Bolu-lu] - a person from Bolu
Çinli - [Çin-li] - a Chinese Man (Chinaman)

This suffix also gives the sense of belonging to something or somewhere, it is widely used with place names - especially to say where one is from:
İngiltereliyim - I am from England, Mançesterliyim - I come from Manchester, Nerelisiniz? - Where (exactly) are you from?

Use of the -li Suffix - Meaning being furnished with.., containing..
This -li suffix also gives the sense of - being furnished with.., contains.. - it is widely used with nouns to make attributive adjectives.

An Actual Example of the - containing.. - suffix.

This is a picture of a sandwich bar's billboard in Hatay Caddesi in Izmir showing the type of sandwiches available

karışık - mixed
kaşarlı - kaşar-lı - [containing hard cheese]
sucuklu - sucuk-lu - [containing Turkish type sausage]
salamlı - salam-lı - [containing salami]
sosisli - sosis-li - [containing sausage]
- In the above examples we can also see vowel harmony operating on the suffix -li as it has three of it four forms in this picture.

The meaning of - furnished with.. - is very widely used - especially to make attributive adjectives - tuz - salt - giving - tuzlu - salty - is a prime example. Should you use sugar in your tea the you might ask for - şekerli çay - which can mean - sweet tea.., sugared tea.., sugary tea.. - according to context.
sabır - patience - sabırlı - patient
kuvvet - strength - kuvvetli - strong
yaprak - leaf - yapraklı - leafy
çimen - lawn - çimenli - having a lawn
yaş - age - yaşlı - old;
renk - colour - renkli - coloured
ses - noise - sesli - noisy
yatak - bed - yataklı - furnished with a bed
tuz - salt - tuzlu - salty

Examples
Mehmet sabırlı bir adamdır - Mehmet is a patient man
Ali kuvvetli bir genç - Ali is a strong youth
Bir yapraklı ağaç - A leafy tree
Çimenli bir ev - It is a house with a lawn
Yaşlı bir at - It is an old horse
İçkili bir lokantaya gittik - We went to an alcohol serving bistro.
Note: içkili - furnished with alcoholic drinks - [ie: Alcoholic drinks are served]

We can form plural nouns by adding the -ler or -lar plural suffix to an adjective:
sabırlılar - the patient ones
kuvvetliler - the strong ones
yaşlılar - the aged