diminutive cases turkish

in Grammar

Diminutive Cases in Turkish (Küçültme Ekleri): Expressing Smallness and Compassion

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!

-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 WordModified WordEnglish Translation
küçük (small)küçücüktiny little
kısa (short)kısacıkvery short
anne (mother)annecikmommy
  • 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 WordModified WordEnglish Translation
büyük (big)büyükçebiggish
geniş (wide)genişçerather wide
şişman (chubby)şişmancarather 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.

AdjectiveAdverbEnglish Translation
sessiz (quiet)sessizcequietly
hızlı (fast)hızlıcaquickly
güzel (beautiful)güzelcenicely
  • 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.

NumberModified WordEnglish Translation
on (ten)onlarcadozens
yüz (hundred)yüzlercehundreds
milyon (million)milyonlarcamillions
  • 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 WordModified WordEnglish Translation
adam (man)adamcağızpoor man
çocuk (child)çocukcağızpoor child
kız (girl)kızcağızpoor 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.

Write a Comment

Comment