A1 · Alphabet and pronunciation · about 6 minutes
Buffer consonants: y, s and n
when two vowels meet
When two vowels meet at an ending, a y, s or n goes in between.
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“New to me”: the explanation first, then practice. “Test myself”: 3 short questions – get at least two right and you go straight to the harder exercises.
Words you will need6
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- yarıntomorrow
- kırmızıred
- hastaill, sick; patient
- kapıdoor
- kapatmakto close; to switch off
- gençyoung
Understand
RememberTwo vowels do not meet — a y, s or n goes in between.
- Signal words
- y
- s
- n
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Turkish.
| y: “I am” after a vowel | öğrenciyim, hastayım |
| y: “to, towards” after a vowel | Ankara'ya, kapıya |
| y: the definite object | kapıyı, pencereyi |
| s: “his, her” after a vowel | arabası, annesi |
| no buffer after a consonant | evi, okulu |
| n: after “his, her”, before another ending | evinde, arabasında |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
Between two vowels there is usually a y.
Ben öğrenciyim.I am a student.
A proper name gets the y after the apostrophe.
Yarın Antalya'ya gidiyoruz.Tomorrow we are going to Antalya.
The ending for “his, her” gets an s after a vowel.
Onun arabası kırmızı.His car is red.
If another ending follows, an n goes in between.
Anahtar arabasında.The key is in his car.
Example sentences
Ben çok hastayım.I am very ill.
Lütfen kapıyı kapat.Please close the door.
Annesi çok genç.His mother is very young.
6 more example sentences
Bu akşam Ayşe'ye gidiyoruz.This evening we are going to Ayşe’s.
Kitap çantasında.The book is in his bag.
Bu kimin çantası?Whose bag is this?
Lütfen pencereyi aç.Please open the window.
Odasında müzik dinliyor.She is listening to music in her room.
Ben Ankaralıyım.I am from Ankara.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English lets two vowels meet without any trouble — “the apple”, “go on”, and you may not even notice the little y or w you slip in. In writing, though, the buffer tends to go missing, especially after a proper name with an apostrophe. In Turkish that sounds like stumbling.
Quick check
A warm-up: 2 questions, answered straight away. They do not count towards your progress.
Practise
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
Now write it yourself8 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
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The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
If a word ends in a vowel and the ending starts with one, Turkish puts a consonant in between, a “buffer”. Usually it is y: öğrenci + -im → öğrenciyim “I am a student”, Ankara + -e → Ankara'ya “to Ankara”, kapı + -i → kapıyı “the door” (as the object).
With the ending for “his, her, its” it is s: ev → evi “his house”, but araba → arabası “his car”, anne → annesi “his mother”. After a consonant no buffer is needed. Turkish uses one ending for “his”, “her” and “its” — there is no gender.
If yet another ending follows this one, an n goes in between: evinde“in his house”arabasında“in his car” As a rule of thumb: y is the normal case, s belongs to “his, her”, n follows “his, her”.
A closer look
How to tell the three apart
Ask yourself which ending is coming. If it is “his, her” (-i after a vowel), then s: arabası. If a case follows after this s part, then n: arabasına, arabasından. In all other cases — “I am”, “we are”, “to, towards”, the definite object — it is y.
Worth knowing2
Worth knowing
Compared with English
English changes “a” to “an” before a vowel — “an apple” — for the same reason: to keep two vowels apart. Turkish does this at almost every border between word and ending. The buffer consonant has no meaning of its own; it is just a bridge.
Ben öğrenciyim, kardeşim de öğrenci.I am a student, and so is my brother.
Worth knowing
A word with its own way
su (water) always takes y, even where other words take s: suyu means “his water” and “the water” as the object. The same goes for ne (what): neyi, neyin.
Suyu içtin mi?Did you drink the water?
The verbs on this page, in every form: gitmek · yemek · kapatmak