Possession is a fundamental concept in any language, allowing speakers to express ownership or relationships between people and objects. In Turkish, possession is primarily indicated using possessive pronouns and possessive suffixes. This article will provide a comprehensive overview of how to express possession in Turkish, covering both possessive pronouns and suffixes, along with examples to illustrate their usage.
Table of Contents
The Possessive Pronouns in Turkish
Possessive pronouns in Turkish are similar to those in English; they indicate who owns something. However, in Turkish, they are not always necessary in a sentence because the possessive suffixes attached to the possessed noun can often provide sufficient information. Below is a list of possessive pronouns in Turkish:
- Benim – My
- Senin – Your
- Onun – His/Her/Its
- Bizim – Our
- Sizin – Your (plural or formal)
- Onların – Their
When these pronouns are used in a sentence, they precede the noun and are often used for emphasis (they are not needed along with the possessive suffix). For example:
- Benim arabam 2020 model. (My car is a 2020 model.)
- Senin kardeşin hastanede çalışıyor. (Your sibling works at the hospital.)
- Onun kedisi çok yaramaz. (His/Her cat is very naughty.)
Note that you can also use the possessive pronouns alone, usually along a demonstrative adjective:
- Bu benim. (This is mine.)
- Şu senin. (That is yours.)
Turkish Possessive Suffixes
In Turkish, possession is more commonly expressed through possessive suffixes added directly to the noun. These suffixes indicate the owner and the relationship between the owner and the object being owned. Below is a breakdown of the possessive suffixes in Turkish:
| Subject Pronoun | Suffix for Singular Noun | Example (Bag) | Example (Notebook) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben (I) | -ım / -im / -um / -üm | çantam | defterim |
| Sen (You) | -ın / -in / -un / -ün | çantan | defterin |
| O (He/She/It) | -sı / -si / -su / -sü | çantası | defteri |
| Biz (We) | -ımız / -imiz / -umuz / -ümüz | çantamız | defterimiz |
| Siz (You, plural/formal) | -ınız / -iniz / -unuz / -ünüz | çantanız | defteriniz |
| Onlar (They) | -ları / -leri | çantaları / çantası | defterleri / defteri |
Important Note: As mentioned before, Turkish does not require possessive pronouns (like “benim” or “senin”) when possessive suffixes are already present on the noun. However, they can still be used to emphasize the possessor:
- Çantam çok pahalı! (My bag is very expensive!) or Benim çantam çok pahalı! (with emphasis on the owner)
Vowel Harmony and Phonological Changes with Turkish Possessive Suffixes
The specific suffix used depends on the last vowel of the noun, following the rules of vowel harmony in Turkish. Vowel harmony dictates that the suffix should match the vowel type (front or back vowels) of the root word.
Moreover, when adding possessive suffixes to some Turkish nouns, you may notice phonological changes. Nouns ending in k, t, ç, and p will change when the possessive suffix is added to preserve consonant harmony:
- k => ğ
- Köpek + -in = Köpeğin (Your dog)
- t => d
- Yurt + -um = Yurdum (My dormitory)
- ç => c
- Araç + -ım = Aracım (My vehicle)
- p => b
- Kitap + -ım = Kitabım (My book)
Similarly, for some two-syllable words ending in a consonant with a high vowel (ı, i, u, ü) in the middle, the vowel may drop:
- Şehir + -im = Şehrim (My city)
- İsim + -im = İsmim (My name)
- Burun + -um = Burnum (My nose)
- Omuz + -um = Omzum (My shoulder)
Examples
Here are a few examples to understand how possessive suffixes work in real-life sentences:
- Bizim odamızda kocaman bir arı var. (There is a huge bee in our room.)
- Here, the suffix -ımız (our) is attached to “oda” (room) to show possession and is followed by the locative case -da to express “in”.
- Sizin telefonunuz Samsung mu, iPhone mu? (Is your phone a Samsung or an iPhone?)
- The suffix -unuz (your, formal/plural) is attached to “telefon” (phone).
- Onların öğretmenleri çok başarılı. (Their teacher is very successful.)
- The suffix -leri (their) is attached to “öğretmen” (teacher).
- Benim köpeğim çok akıllı. (My dog is very smart.)
- When adding the possessive suffix “-im” (my) to “köpek”, the final consonant “k” changes to “ğ” due to consonant harmony.
- Karnın ağrıyor mu? (Is your stomach painful?)
- When adding the possessive suffix “-ın” (your), the vowel “ı” in the middle drops to make the word easier to pronounce.
