In Turkish, diminutive cases (küçültme ekleri) are suffixes that modify the meaning of words to express smallness, affection, tenderness, or compassion. These suffixes add subtle nuances, making the language rich and expressive. Let’s explore the diminutive suffixes in Turkish: -cık, -ca, and -cağız. Each of these suffixes has unique functions and follows vowel harmony rules, allowing them to seamlessly integrate with root words. Hadi bakalım!
Table of Contents
-Cık: Smallness and Endearment
The suffix -cık conveys smallness, tininess, or endearment. It can make an object or concept seem tiny, cute, or cherished. The form of -cık changes depending on vowel harmony: -cık, -cik, -cuk, -cük.
Base Word | Modified Word | English Translation |
---|---|---|
küçük (small) | küçücük | tiny little |
kısa (short) | kısacık | very short |
anne (mother) | annecik | mommy |
- Küçücük bir bahçemiz var. (We have a tiny little garden.)
- Saçlarımı kısacık kestirdim. (I got my hair cut really short.)
- Anneciğim, yemek çok güzel olmuş. (Mommy, the food turned out so delicious.)
-CA: Moderation, Adverbs, and Approximation
The suffix -CA/-CE has multiple uses in Turkish. It adapts to vowel harmony and appears as -ca, -ce, -ça, -çe depending on the root word.
Usage 1: Moderation or Slightness
Similar to the English suffix -ish, -CA indicates that something is somewhat or moderately in a certain quality.
Base Word | Modified Word | English Translation |
---|---|---|
büyük (big) | büyükçe | biggish |
geniş (wide) | genişçe | rather wide |
şişman (chubby) | şişmanca | rather chubby |
- Kumpir için marketten büyükçe bir patates al. (Buy a biggish potato from the market for kumpir.)
- Mehmet şişmanca bir adam. (Mehmet is a rather chubby man.)
- Genişçe bir kaba yumurtaları kırın. (Crack the eggs into a fairly large bowl.)
Usage 2: Creating Adverbs
The suffix -CA/-CE can also function as an adverbial suffix in Turkish. When added to adjectives, it turns them into adverbs that describe how an action is performed.
Adjective | Adverb | English Translation |
---|---|---|
sessiz (quiet) | sessizce | quietly |
hızlı (fast) | hızlıca | quickly |
güzel (beautiful) | güzelce | nicely |
- Sessizce evi terk etti. (He/She left the house quietly.)
- Spordan sonra hızlıca bir duş aldım. (I took a quick shower after working out.)
- Adam gizlice cüzdanımı çantamdan almış. (The man secretly took my wallet from my bag.)
- Hediyeyi güzelce paketledim. (I wrapped the gift nicely.)
Usage 3: Approximating Large Quantities
When added to numbers, -CA conveys a sense of approximation, often suggesting a large quantity (“many” or “a large quantity” of the thing being described). It’s a good complement to learning numbers in Turkish.
Number | Modified Word | English Translation |
---|---|---|
on (ten) | onlarca | dozens |
yüz (hundred) | yüzlerce | hundreds |
milyon (million) | milyonlarca | millions |
- Günlerce seni aradım ama ulaşamadım. (I called you for days, but I couldn’t reach you.)
- Gökyüzünde onlarca balon var. (There are dozens of balloons in the sky.)
- Partide yüzlerce insan sabaha kadar dans etti. (Hundreds of people danced until morning at the party.)
- Cumhuriyet bayramında milyonlarca insan sokaklardaydı. (Millions of people were on the streets during the Republic Day celebration.)
Usage 4: Group Actions
The suffix -CA can emphasize that the action is done collectively or in a way that represents the entire group mentioned (family, class, school, etc.). It emphasizes that the action is done as a group (“as something”).
- Sınıfça tiyatroya gittik. (We went to the theater as a class.)
- Ailece her yıl pikniğe gideriz. (We go on a picnic every year as a family.)
- Okulca bir Anıtkabir gezisi düzenledik. (We organized a trip to Anıtkabir as a school.)
-Cağız: Compassion and Tenderness
The suffix -CAĞIZ / -CEĞİZ conveys a sense of pity, compassion, or tenderness. It is often used with nouns referring to people or living beings. This suffix cannot be used with inanimate objects. It’s frequently paired with the word “zavallı” (poor, pitiable), but it can also stand alone with nouns.
Base Word | Modified Word | English Translation |
---|---|---|
adam (man) | adamcağız | poor man |
çocuk (child) | çocukcağız | poor child |
kız (girl) | kızcağız | poor girl |
- Zavallı adamcağız sokaklarda yatıyor. (The poor man is sleeping on the streets.)
- Kızcağız bütün gün ağladı. (The poor girl cried all day.)
- Çocukcağızın ailesi çok problemli. (The poor child’s family is very troubled.)
Conclusion
Diminutive suffixes in Turkish not only add grammatical depth but also enrich the emotional expression of the language. Whether to show affection with -cık, express moderation with -ca, or evoke compassion with -cağız, the küçültme ekleri suffixes are essential in Turkish. Mastering them allows learners to convey subtle meanings and connect more deeply with the language’s nuances.
Practice: try to use one diminutive suffix every day to remember them!
Discover the difference between “Bu/Bunlar,” “Şu/Şunlar,” and “O/Onlar” in Turkish.