Turkish grammar · A1 · Lesson 12 of 29
Turkish Plural Suffix: -ler, -lar
Çoğul Eki (-ler / -lar)
Making things plural: ev → evler, kitap → kitaplar
One ending makes any noun plural: -ler or -lar. ev → evler, kitap → kitaplar. It goes on the noun before any other ending: evlerde, kitaplarım.
-ler after a front vowel (e, i, ö, ü), -lar after a back vowel (a, ı, o, u): two-way harmony, decided by the last vowel of the word.
After a number the noun stays singular: üç kitap, not üç kitaplar. The number already says how many. The same after çok and kaç: çok kitap, kaç kitap?
The rule
Which one?
- aıou-lar
kitaplar, okullar
- eiöü-ler
evler, gözler
Form
By the last vowel
Last vowel
books
schools
houses
eyes
After a number: no plural
Count
three books
five houses
many books
how many books?
Watch out
No plural after a number
After a number the noun stays singular: üç kitap, never üç kitaplar. The number already signals the quantity. The same holds after çok (many), birkaç (a few) and kaç (how many).
Good to know
The plural comes before the other endings
When endings stack, -ler comes first: ev → evler → evlerde (in the houses), kitap → kitaplar → kitaplarım (my books). The next ending harmonizes with the vowel of -ler / -lar.
Good to know
On a name: "and their family"
On a proper name the ending means "and their family" or "and their group": Ahmetler geldi ("Ahmet and his family arrived"), not a literal plural.
Examples
Evler büyük.
The houses are big.
Öğrenciler sınıfta.
The students are in the classroom.
Kitaplar masada.
The books are on the table.
Çocuklar bahçede oynuyor.
The children are playing in the garden.
Beş kitap aldım.
I bought five books.
Burada çok araba var.
There are many cars here.
First speaker:Kaç kedi var?
Second speaker:İki kedi var.
How many cats are there? There are two.
Cheat sheet
- a ı o u-lar
- e i ö ü-ler
- sayı + isimtekil