The Main Suffixes
The Genitive Suffix
The form of the Genintve suffix is: -in or -nin - (using buffere letter -n-) - when added to words which already end in a vowel, meaning - of, belonging to
This suffix is used for ownwership. The grammarians call this the Genitive Case.
This suffix is also used gramatically 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 couse subject to Vowel Harmony and causes Consonant Mutation
Thus the Vowel Harmonised forms become - -in -ın -ün -un - of , belonging to..
There is an exception for a single noun in Turkish.
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 this word so - Meyve Suyu - is the correct way to say - Fruit Juice.
Formation of the Genitive of Ownership
The Genitive suffix -in is added to the noun.
1. Noun - Suffixed Noun - Meaning
2. ev - house - evin - (ev-in) - the house's, of the house
3. evimin - (ev-im-in) - my house's, of my house
4. evinin - (ev-in-in) - your house's, of your house
5. memurun - (memur-un) - the official's, of the official
6. gözün - (göz-ün) - the eye's, of the eye
7. gözlerimin - (göz-ler-im-in) - my eyes, of my eyes
8. akşamın - (akşam-ın) - the evenings's, of the evening
9. tavuğun - (tavuğ-un) - the chicken's, of the chicken
10. 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 Genitive Suffix - Nouns ending in Vowels
The Suffix changes to -nin - of or belonging to - using buffer -n- in order to keep two vowels apart
1. Noun - Suffixed Noun - Meaning
2. kedinin - (kedi-n-in) - of the cat, the cat's
3. kedilerinin - (kedi-leri-n-in) - their cat's, of their cat
4. kedisinin - (kedi-si-n-in) - of his cat, his cat's
5. bankanın - (banka-n-ın) - the bank's
6. bankasının - (banka-sı-n-ın) - his bank's
7. köprünün - (köprü-n-ün) - the bridge's
8. Ali 'nin - (Ali-'n-in) - Ali's
9. 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
The Buffer Letter -n- used with -in - the Genitive Suffix
Suffix -in -ın -ün -un - of or - 's - as in John's
This suffix always takes buffer -n- after a vowel thus taking the form - -nin -nın -nün -nun.
1. kedinin - of the cat, the cat's
2. kedilerinin - their cat's
3. kedisi - his cat
4. kedisinin - of his cat, his cat's
5. bankanın - the bank's
6. bankasının - his bank's
7. köprü - bridge
8. köprünün - of the bridge, the bridge's
9. Ali'nin - Ali's
10. Ayşe'nin - Ayşe's
The suffix -in - of or -'s - as in - John's - Genitive Case
The suffix -in -ın -ün -un - of , belonging to.. always takes buffer letter -n- to become -nin -nın -nün -nun - when added to a root word or extended word which ends in a vowel.
1. Noun - Meaning - Suffixed Noun - Extended Meaning
2. kedinin - the cat's - kedisinin - his cat's
3. bankanın - of the bank - bankasının - of his bank
4. araba - car - arabanın - the car's
5. arabası - his car - arabasının - of his car
6. Ali 'nin - Ali 's - Ayşe 'nin - Ayshe 's
7. 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 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.
1. Noun - Suffixed Noun - Means
2. Mehmed ile - (Mehmed ile) - with Mehmet
3. Mehmet'le - (Mehmet-'le) - with Mehmet
4. gözlerim ile - (gözler-im ile) - with my eyes
5. gözlerimle - (gözler-im -le) - with my eyes
6. domuzla - (domuz-la) - with the pig
7. domuz ile - (domuz ile) - with a (any) pig
8. domuzu ile - (domuz-u ile) - with the pig
9. arkadaşınla - (arkadaş-ın-la) - with your friend
10. 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.
1. Noun - Suffixed Noun - Means
2. paltosuyla - (palto-su-yla) - with his overcoat
3. bir arabayla - (bir araba-yla) - with a car
4. kediyle - (kedi-yle) - with the cat
5. kedisiyle - (kedi-si-yle) - with his cat
6. iskemleyle - (iskemle-yle) - with the chair
7. eliyle - (el-i-yle) - with his hand
8. elleriyle - (eller-i-yle) - with his hands
9. 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..
1. Benimle Mehmet geldi - Mehmet and I came. - Lit: With me Mehmet came.
2. Masada fincanla tabaklar var - There are cups and plates on the table.
1. Ali ile arkadaşı , odaya girdi - Ali entered the room with his friend.
2. Ali arkadaşıyla , odaya girdi - Ali and his friend entered the room.
1. Mustafa ile Selim partiye gitti - Mustapha went to the party with Selim .
2. Mustafa, Selim 'le partiye gitti - Mustapha and Selim went to the party.
The Buffer Letter -y- used with -le and -la
Suffix -le -la - with, and, also
The word for - with, and, also - 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.
1. Mehmed ile - with Mehmet
2. domuz ile - with the pig
3. arkadaşın ile - with your friend
However it can also be suffixed to the word in which case it does follow vowel harmony rules and becomes -le or -la or -yle -yla after vowels.
1. Mehmet'le - with Mehmet
2. arkadaşınla - with your friend
3. paltosuyla - with his overcoat
4. bir arabayla - with a car
When -le or -la is suffixed to a root word ending in a vowel then the buffer letter is always -y-
1. kediyle - with the cat - simple root word
2. kedisiyle - with his cat - extended word
3. iskemleyle - with the chair - simple root word
4. eliyle - with his hand - extended word
5. paltosuyla - with his overcoat - extended word
6. babayla - with father - simple root word
7. babasıyla - with his father - extended word
Whether to use - ile - as stand alone or as a suffix is a free choice of the speaker or writer, there is no hard and fast rule.
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 seperated from a Proper Noun by an apostophe as other suffuxes generally are - "Londra'lı" would be incorrect - Londralı is correct
1. Noun - Suffixed Noun - Means
2. Londralı(Londra-lı) - a Londoner
3. Londralılar(Londra-lı-lar) - Londoners
4. İstanbullu(İstanbul-lu) - an Istanbuli
5. İstanbullular(İstanbul-lu-lar) - Istanbulis
6. İngiltereliyim(İngiltere-li-yim) - I am from England
7. Bolulu(Bolu-lu) - a person from Bolu
8. Çinli(Çin-li) - a Chinese Man - (Chinaman)
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.
Thanks to Bahaddin Cankurt for corrections to this section. - Feb 2006
Some Examples
1. İngiltereliyim - I am from England
2. Mançesterliyim - I come from Manchester
3. Nerelisiniz? - Where 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 - containing..
This is a picture of a sandwich bar's billboard in Hatay Caddesi in Izmir.
This picture shows the type of sanwiches available
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 Varmony operating on the suffix -li as it has three of it four forms in this picture.
Some Further Examples
The meaning of - furnished with.. - is very widely used - especially to make attributive adjectives - tuz - salt - giving - tuzlu - salty - is a prime example.
If 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.
|
Noun Forms
|
Derived Adjectival Form
|
|
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
|
Note: We can form plural nouns by adding the -ler or -lar plural suffix to an adjective.
1. sabırlılar - the patient ones
2. kuvvetliler - the strong ones
3. yaşlılar - the aged
Some More Examples
1. Mehmet sabırlı bir adamdır - Mehmet is a patient man
2. Ali kuvvetli bir genç - Ali is a strong youth
3. Bir yapraklı ağaç - A leafy tree
4. Çimenli bir ev - It is a house with a lawn
5. Yaşlı bir at - It is an old horse
6. İçkili bir lokantaya gittik - We went to an alchohol serving bistro.
Note: içkili - furnished with alchoholic drinks - ie: Alchoholic drinks are served
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
|
Noun Forms
|
Derived Adjectival Form
|
|
ehliyet - licence
|
ehliyetsiz - unlicenced
|
|
renk - colour
|
renksiz - colourless
|
|
sabır - patience
|
sabırsız - impatient
|
|
işaret - sign
|
işaretsiz - unsigned
|
|
ses - noise
|
sessiz - noisless
|
|
şeker - sugar
|
şekersiz - unsugared
|
|
namus - honest
|
namussuz - dishonest
|
Further Examples
1. Bir çay, şekersiz olsun, lütfen - A tea, no sugar, please
2. Sonsuz bir yolculuk gibiydi - It was like an endless jouney
3. Sensiz gidiyorum - I'm going without you
4. Değersiz bir saat aldım - I bought a worthless watch
5. İckisiz bir aile gazinosuna gittik - We went to a non-alchoholic family restaurant
Note: içkisiz - without alchoholic drinks - ie: Alchohol is not served
