Rules and usage
Possessive suffixes in Turkish attach directly to nouns to show who owns something. Unlike English, which uses separate words (my, your, his), Turkish attaches these markers directly to the noun. These suffixes are used constantly in Turkish and change based on vowel harmony rules. Learning them is one of the most important foundational skills because Turkish marks possession on the noun itself, not with separate pronouns.
The Six Possessive Suffixes and What They Show
- Turkish has six possessive suffixes, one for each person. The suffix attaches to the noun whether or not you also use a separate pronoun:
- First person singular (my): -im, -ım, -um, -üm (Kitabım is my book)
- Second person singular (your): -in, -ın, -un, -ün (Kitabın is your book)
- Third person singular (his/her/its): -i, -ı, -u, -ü (Kitabı is his/her book)
- First person plural (our): -imiz, -ımız, -umuz, -ümüz (Kitabımız is our book)
- Second person plural (your, plural/formal): -iniz, -ınız, -unuz, -ünüz (Kitabınız is your-plural book)
- Third person plural (their): -leri, -ları (Kitapları is their books)
- You can say the noun alone (Kitap = the book), with just the suffix (Kitabım = my book), or with both a pronoun and suffix (Benim kitabım = my book, with explicit pronoun for emphasis).
✅ Positive sentence examples
| Turkish | English |
|---|
| Benim telefonum çok eski. | My phone is very old. |
| Senin evinin bahçesi güzel. | Your house's garden is beautiful. |
⛔ Negative sentence examples
| Turkish | English |
|---|
| Benim kitabım iyi değil. | My book is not good. |
| Senin ödevin bitmedi. | Your homework is not finished. |
❓ Question sentence examples
| Turkish | English |
|---|
| Benim arabamı gördün mü? | Did you see my car? |
| Senin adın ne? | What is your name? |