Turkish grammar: tamlama yapıları

What this grammar point covers

In Turkish, 'tamlama yapıları' are noun phrases that show a relationship between two or more nouns, similar to 'of' or possessive structures. They help to express ownership, belonging, or what something is made of.

When to use it

Use tamlama structures to talk about possession, parts of things, materials, or relationships between nouns in Turkish.

Key forms

• Belirtisiz tamlama: kitap kapağı (book cover)
• Belirtili tamlama: öğrencinin kitabı (the student's book)
• Takısız tamlama: altın yüzük (gold ring)

Examples

Tips

• Remember to use the correct suffixes for each noun in the tamlama.
• In belirtili tamlama, both nouns get suffixes: the first gets the possessive, the second gets the possessive ending.
• Do not use an extra word for 'of' or possession—use suffixes instead.

Exceptions and edge cases

• Some words do not take suffixes in takısız tamlama, especially when talking about materials.
• Proper names may have special forms.