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- A1 · Unit 3 · Lesson 4
- about 15 min
- Free
Plurals
Bu ne?
Make nouns plural with -ler and -lar, and count with numbers.
By the end you can
- Make any noun plural with -ler or -lar
- Choose -ler or -lar from the last vowel
- Count things the Turkish way: iki kitap
New words
Tap play to listen, or the turtle to hear it slowly. Tap a card marked with the turn-over arrows to see the word in a sentence.
- kitapbooklarmore than one
- kalempenlermore than one
- çantabaglarmore than one
- defterlernotebooksdefternotebooklermore than one
- anahtarlarkeysanahtarkeylarmore than one
- öğrencilerstudentsöğrencistudentlermore than one
Grammar notes
Colors show what each part of a word does
Tap any Turkish with a dotted underline to hear it.
Plural: -ler or -lar
Spot the pattern
- kalembecomeskalemler
- öğrencibecomesöğrenciler
- kitapbecomeskitaplar
- telefonbecomestelefonlar
So what is the plural of çanta (bag)?
Add -ler or -lar to make a noun plural. Which one depends on the last vowel of the word. This is two-way vowel harmony: there are only two choices.
The pattern
nounplus-ler / -larmore than one
- Word 1: not answered
- Word 2: not answered
- Word 3: not answered
- Word 4: not answered
- Word 5: not answered
- Word 6: not answered
pen · Find the last vowel. Which box is it in?
kalem
| Last vowel | Ending | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| e, i, ö, ü | -ler | kalemler,öğrenciler,gözler |
| a, ı, o, u | -lar | kitaplar,telefonlar,kutular |
Last vowel
e, i, ö, ü
- Ending
- -ler
- Examples
- kalemler,öğrenciler,gözler
Last vowel
a, ı, o, u
- Ending
- -lar
- Examples
- kitaplar,telefonlar,kutular
Watch out
Not:kalemlar
Say:kalemler
Only the last vowel counts. has an a and an e, and the last one is e, so it takes -ler.
Tip: No glue letter is needed after a vowel: masa → masalar, .
Quick check
What is the plural of masa (table)?
No plural after numbers
After a number the noun stays singular, because the number already says “more than one”.
bir anahtar
one key
iki anahtar
two keys
üç anahtar
three keys
ikikitap
Word by word: two, book.two books
üçöğrenci
Word by word: three, student.three students
birkalem
Word by word: one, pen.one pen / a pen
Why?
The number already tells you there is more than one, so Turkish doesn’t say it twice. English says it twice: two books.
Kerem’s note
Watch out
Not:iki kitaplar
Say:iki kitap
After , or any other number, leave the noun as it is.
Tip: The next unit teaches all the numbers.
Quick check
How do you say “three bags”?
These books
, and don’t change before a plural: = these books.
Bu kitaplar yeni.
These books are new.
Şu sandalyeler çok eski.
Those chairs are very old.
Kalemler küçük mü?
Are the pens small?
bunear me
bu kitaplar
these books (right here)
şua bit further
şu sandalyeler
those chairs (over there)
ofar away
o anahtarlar
those keys (far away)
o also points back to something already mentioned, and means he / she / it.
Tip: In English “this” becomes “these”. In Turkish stays : only the noun takes -ler or -lar.
Quick check
Which one means “these pens”?
Practice
14 exercises · about 7 min. Wrong answers come back once at the end, and only your first try counts.