Personal pronouns and predicative affixes in the Turkish language

Lesson vocabulary

Affirmative modality affix (-dır/-tır). Present tense

The affirmative modality affix is represented by the variants -dır, -dir, -dur, -dür and -tır, -tir, -tur, -tür. The choice of the vowel for the affix follows the law of vowel harmony, and the choice of the consonant t or d follows the law of consonant harmony. Note that if a word ends in a vowel, it is automatically followed by an affix starting with the letter d.

The affirmative modality affix is used when defining an object or stating a fact (acting like the verb ‘to be’).

Bu masadır. - This is a table.
O öğretmendir. - He (she) is a teacher.

When translating into English, this affix is usually left without a formal translation, as ‘is’ is already implied by the sentence structure. In conversational Turkish, this affix is usually omitted in such sentences.

Exercise 3.1. Attach the affirmative modality affix. Translate into English.

Bu araba dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu kalem dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu çiçek dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu söz dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür ?
Bu ev dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu dolap dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu mektup dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .

Bu yıldız dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu köpek dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu kuş dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu arkadaş dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu defter dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu aile dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu gül dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .

Bu tahta dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu cetvel dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu kitap dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu çiçek dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu sözlük dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu oda dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .
Bu sokak dır dir dur dür tır tir tur tür .

Exercise 3.2. Translate into Turkish.

This is a human. This is a bag. This is a car. This is a table. This is a dog. This is a student. This is a cupboard.
This is a notebook. This is an older sister. This is a father. This is a window. This is a desk. This is a street. This is a flower.

Predicative affixes (personal affixes). Affirmative form. Present tense

In the Turkish language, the predicate agrees with the subject in person and number using predicative affixes. These affixes, when attached to nouns, are used to denote a profession, a person’s state, etc.

Let’s look at the personal pronouns and the affixes attached to nouns. The choice of the affix’s vowel follows the law of vowel harmony.

If a word ends in a vowel, and the attaching affix begins with a vowel, the buffer letter Y is used between the two vowels.

Exercise 3.3. Attach predicative affixes to the following words.

Predicative affixes. Interrogative and negative forms

Interrogative form

As you already know, a question in Turkish is formed using the interrogative particle mı (mi, mu, mü). In a question, personal affixes are attached directly to the interrogative particle with the buffer letter y:

Please note that in the 3rd person plural form, the plural affix (lar or ler) is first added to the word, and only then the interrogative particle, which in this case allows only two variants: mı or mi.

Negative form

To form a negation, the negative particle değil is used, to which the predicative affixes (personal affixes) are attached.

Exercise 3.4. Form affirmative, interrogative, and negative forms of the words using personal affixes.

Aşçı, sekreter, işadamı, hasta, tamirci, öğrenci, müdür, muhasebeci, avukat, evli.

Exercise 3.5. Translate into Turkish

I am a student, she is married, he is not a teacher, are you sick?, they are not lawyers, you are a secretary, is he a manager?, they are married, we are businessmen, you are not an accountant, are you students?, is she a nurse?, we are not sick, she is a dentist, are you an engineer?, you are not a cook, they are doctors.

{tip title="Exercise 3.5" content="Ben öğrenciyim. O evli. O öğretmen değil. Sen hasta mısın? Onlar avukat değiller. Sen sekretersin. O müdür mü? Onlar evliler. Biz işadamıyız. Sen muhasebeci değilsin. Siz öğrenci misiniz? O hemşire mi? Biz hasta değiliz. O dişçi. Siz mühendis misiniz? Sen aşçı değilsin. Onlar doktorlar."}

Lexemes var, yok, gerek, lâzım in the Turkish language

When studying this topic, also see lessons 4 (locative case, possessive affixes), 6 (possessive izafet), 16 (verbal nouns).

In Turkish, there is a category of words called predicatives, which can act as a predicate. This category includes the lexemes var - ‘there is’, ‘exists’, yok - ‘there is not’, ‘does not exist’, gerek - ‘need’, ‘necessary’, lâzım - ‘need’, ‘necessary’.

The lexemes var and yok in the Turkish language can be used in constructions indicating the location of an object in space, presence, possession, and absence. This is demonstrated in the following table:

To state the location of an object somewhere in Turkish, constructions like Masada kitap var. - There is a book on the table are used, where masada is the adverbial modifier of place, kitap is the subject, and var is the predicate. Such constructions must necessarily answer the question Masada kitap var mı? - Is there a book on the table? - Evet, masada kitap var. - Yes, there is a book on the table. - Hayır, masada kitap yok. - No, there is no book on the table.

However, when answering the question Kitap nerede? - Where is the book? Kitap masada - The book is on the table, the predicative var is never used.

If the speaker wants to know what is lying on the table (what is on the table), what is hanging on the wall (what is on the wall), what is in the garden, etc., the construction Masada ne var? - What is on the table? - Masada bir kalem ve kitap var. - There is a pencil and a book on the table is used.

If it is important for the speaker to clarify whether it is exactly a book lying on the table, the sentence looks like this: Masada kitap mı var? - Is there a book on the table? - Evet, masada bir kitap var. - Yes, there is a book on the table.

In English, the verb to have or the there is/are construction is used. In Turkish, the possession construction consists of a possessive pronoun with an agreeing noun (see lesson 4), which forms the subject, and the word var acts as the predicate.

Exercise 3.6. Answer following the example.

Exercises that imply oral answers, like this one, mean that you should answer the questions out loud, not just ‘in your head’, otherwise you won’t learn to speak Turkish.

— Odada kitaplık var mı?
— Evet, odada kitaplık var.
— Hayır, odada kitaplık yok.

Duvarda tablo var mı? Bahçede çiçekler var mı? Ağaçta kuş var mı? Koridorda öğrenciler var mı? Sınıfta harita var mı? Sokakta köpek var mı? Okulda bilgisayar var mı?

Exercise 3.7. Do the exercise following the example: first ask what is on the table, answer, and then express surprise.

— Masada ne var?
— Masada kitap var.
— Masada kitap mı var?

Mutfakta sofra var. Sokakta çocuklar var. Odada koltuk var. Kafeste kuş var. Arabada çanta var. Kulübede köpek var. Plajda öğrenciler var. Çantada gözlük var. Masada resim var.

The lexemes gerek and lâzım are synonymous in meaning but appear in different positions. The word gerek can act as a predicate (gitmek gerek - need to go), as a subject (buna gerek yok - there is no need for this), and as an attribute (gerekli şeyler - necessary things). Besides, the word gerek can express relation to time (Şimdi ellerini yıkamak gerekiyor - Now you need to wash your hands).

The word lâzım is used in the position of a compound verbal predicate.

Haftalık ders programı (Weekly class schedule)

Exercise 3.8. Using the table, ask similar questions and find out what classes there are on Wednesday, Thursday, etc.

Exercise 3.9. Using the table, ask questions and answer them following the example.

Exercise 3.10. Using the table, answer the questions.

1. Çarşamba günü müzik var mı?
   .
2. Perşembe günü Türkçe var mı?
   .
3. Cuma günü ders var mı?
   .
4. Pazartesi günü resim var mı?
   .
5. Cuma günü beden eğitimi var mı?
   .
6. Salı günü fizik var mı?
   .

Exercise 3.11. Ask a question.

1. ?
   Evet, çarşamba günü fizik var.
2. ?
   Hayır, bugün Türkçe yok.
3. ?
   Evet, pazartesi günü müzik var.
4. ?
   Hayır, salı günü resim yok.

Exercise 3.12. Fill in the blanks.

1. Salı günü beden eğitimi ?
   salı günü beden eğitimi var.
2. Çarşamba günü müzik ?
   çarşamba günü müzik yok.
3. Perşembe günü fizik ?
   perşembe günü fizik yok.
4. Cuma günü kimya ?
   cuma günü kimya var.
5. Cumartesi günü ders var mı?
   cumartesi günü ders yok.