Plural Suffix (-lar / -ler) in Turkish
Plural Suffix (-lar / -ler)
The suffix -lar/-ler forms the plural of nouns; it is omitted when nouns are modified by numbers or quantity words.
The Turkish plural suffix has two forms governed by Major Vowel Harmony: -lar (after back vowels a, ı, o, u) and -ler (after front vowels e, i, ö, ü). It attaches directly to the nominal stem: ev (house) → evler (houses); çocuk (child) → çocuklar (children); masa (table) → masalar (tables).
A fundamental rule of Turkish syntax is that nouns quantified by numerals or indefinite amount words (üç, beş, çok, az, birkaç) must remain singular. In Turkish, saying üç elmalar or çok insanlar is ungrammatical; one must say üç elma (three apples) and çok insan (many people). Furthermore, when a third-person plural subject is inanimate or abstract, the verb usually stays in the third-person singular (e.g., Ağaçlar yeşerdi, not yeşerdiler).
The suffix -lar/-ler can also denote generalizations, family/group membership (Ahmetler = Ahmet and his family/friends), or polite approximation (otuz yaşlarında = around thirty years old). Learners coming from Indo-European languages almost universally struggle with suppressing the plural suffix after numbers, making iki kahveler instead of iki kahve.
Examples
Pencerenin önündeki güzel çiçekler açmış.
The beautiful flowers in front of the window have bloomed.
Masada üç bardak çay duruyor.
There are three glasses of tea on the table.
Sokakta birçok çocuk neşeyle oynuyor.
Many children are playing cheerfully in the street.
Bu akşam teyzemlere yemeğe gideceğiz.
This evening we will go to my aunt's family for dinner.
Related terms
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