-dırsa

Conditional with Nominal Predicates

Level 4

The nominal conditional -dırsa (and its variants) is the standard way to say 'if [something] is [noun/adjective]' in Azerbaijani. It combines the 3rd person copula with the conditional particle.

How It Works

In Azerbaijani, nominal predicates (nouns, adjectives, or pronouns) require a personal ending before the conditional suffix -sa/-sə can be added. This differs from the conditional mood of verbs, which attaches the marker directly to the verb stem. However, it is similar to regular indicative verb tenses, where the conditional marker follows the tense and personal endings.

1. Morphology and Buffer Consonants:
When a nominal stem ends in a vowel, a buffer -y- is required before personal endings that start with a vowel (like the 1st person singular and plural).

  • 1st Person: Tələbəyəmsə (If I am a student), Tələbəyiksə (If we are students)
  • 2nd Person: Tələbəsənsə (If you are a student), Tələbəsinizsə (If you all are students)
  • 3rd Person: Tələbədirsə (If he/she is a student), Tələbədirlərsə or Tələbələrdirsə (If they are students)

2. Vowel Harmony:
The conditional suffix -sa/-sə follows 2-way vowel harmony. Note that the preceding personal endings vary: the 1st and 2nd person singular endings (-am/-əm and -san/-sən) follow 2-way harmony, while the plural and 3rd person endings (-ıq/-ik/-uq/-ük, -sınız/-siniz/-sunuz/-sünüz, and -dır/-dir/-dur/-dür) follow 4-way harmony.

3. Negation:
To form a negative condition, the word deyil is used. The personal ending and the conditional suffix are attached to deyil rather than the noun or adjective:

  • Tələbə deyiləmsə (If I am not a student)
  • Hazır deyilsə (If he/she/it is not ready)

Note that in the 3rd person negative, the -dir suffix is almost always dropped before -sə.

4. Origin and Stress:
The conditional suffix -sa/-sə is a shortened form of the particle isə, which can also be written separately (e.g., tələbədir isə). When attached as a suffix, neither it nor the nominal personal endings take stress; the stress remains anchored to the naturally stressed syllable of the noun or adjective stem (e.g., tələBƏdirsə).

5. Usage:
This structure establishes a premise based on a state or identity. While əgər (if) can be added at the start for emphasis, the suffix chain on the predicate is the primary carrier of the conditional meaning.

6. Past Tense Copula:
This same suffix order applies to the past tense copula idi (was/were), where the personal ending strictly precedes the conditional (e.g., tələbə idimsə or tələbəydimsə - If I was a student).

Examples (4)

  1. Hava soyuqdursa, qalın geyin.

    If the weather is cold, dress warmly.

    Word by Word: Weather cold-is-if, thick wear.

    Here, 'soyuq' (cold) takes '-dırsa' because it is an adjective forming a condition.

  2. Bu sənin kitabındırsa, onu götür.

    If this is your book, take it.

    Word by Word: This your book-is-if, it take.

    The suffix is attached to the possessed noun 'kitabın' (your book).

  3. Problem ciddidirsə, bizə xəbər verin.

    If the problem is serious, let us know.

    Word by Word: Problem serious-is-if, to-us news give.

    Demonstrates the '-dirsə' variant following the front vowel 'i' in 'ciddi'.

  4. O, hələ uşaqdırsa, tək getməsin.

    If he is still a child, he shouldn't go alone.

    Word by Word: He, still child-is-if, alone go-let-not.

    Attaches to the noun 'uşaq' (child) to create a condition about identity.

Common Mistakes

  • Both are correct: -sa attached directly is the plain 'if', and -dırsa is more formal or emphatic.

    Different MeaningHava soyuqsa, getməyək.
    Hava soyuqdursa, getməyək.

    In everyday speech -sa goes straight onto a noun or adjective (soyuqsa, 'if it is cold'). Adding the copula -dır- (soyuqdursa) is more formal and stresses 'if it really is so'.

  • Violating vowel harmony between the two parts of the suffix.

    Yol uzaqdirsə...
    Yol uzaqdırsa...

    The first part follows 4-way harmony (-dır) and the second part follows 2-way harmony (-sa). Since 'uzaq' has back vowels, both parts must be back-vowel variants.

How It Connects

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-dırsaLevel 4Conditional with Nominal Predicates

Learn This First

To understand the nominal conditional '-dırsa', learners must first be familiar with the basic conditional suffix '-sa/-sə' used with verbs. Additionally, they need to understand how nominal predicates are formed using the assertive suffix '-dır' (or its zero-suffix counterpart), as the nominal conditional is essentially a combination of the nominal copula and the conditional marker.