Benim adım Ali.
English: My name is Ali.
- Language
- Turkish
- Level
- A2
- Unit
- Nesneler ve sahiplik
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
In Turkish, 'sahiplik yapıları' are ways to show possession, like 'my book' or 'her house'. Turkish uses special endings on nouns to show who owns something.
When to use it
Use these forms in Turkish to say who owns something, like family members, objects, or parts of the body.
Key forms
- benim + noun + -im/-ım/-um/-üm (my)
- senin + noun + -in/-ın/-un/-ün (your)
- onun + noun + -i/-ı/-u/-ü (his/her/its)
- bizim + noun + -imiz/-ımız/-umuz/-ümüz (our)
- sizin + noun + -iniz/-ınız/-unuz/-ünüz (your, plural/formal)
- onların + noun + -i/-ı/-u/-ü (their)
Examples
Senin kalemin nerede?
English: Where is your pen?
Onun arabası çok büyük.
English: His/her car is very big.
Bizim evimiz Ankara’da.
English: Our house is in Ankara.
Onların köpeği siyah.
English: Their dog is black.
Tips
- Always add the correct ending to the noun, depending on the owner.
- Remember vowel harmony: the ending changes to match the last vowel of the noun.
- In spoken Turkish, sometimes the pronoun (benim, senin, etc.) is dropped if it's clear who owns the thing.
Exceptions and edge cases
- For plural nouns, first make the noun plural, then add the possessive ending: 'kitaplarım' (my books).
- Some words have irregular forms, like 'anne' (mother) becoming 'annem' (my mother), not 'anneim'.