-ma/-mə (hadisə adlığı)

The -ma/-mə feili isim (Verbal Noun) is a versatile tool in Azerbaijani grammar.

1. Formation:
It attaches directly to the verb stem (e.g., yaz → yazma; gəl → gəlmə). While frequently used with possessive suffixes in practice (e.g., onun yazması - his writing), it also has major unpossessed uses. To form the negative verbal noun, the negative suffix -ma/-mə is added before the verbal noun suffix, resulting in -mama/-məmə (e.g., onun gəlməməsi - his not coming).

2. Stress and Phonology:
Unlike the verbal negative suffix in ordinary commands and many finite forms, which is pre-accentuating, the verbal noun -ma/-mə suffix is stressed. When possessive or case suffixes are added, the stress follows the standard Azerbaijani oxytonic rule and moves to the final syllable of the entire word (e.g., oxumasını', gəlməsinə'). However, in the negative verbal noun form (-mama/-məmə), the first -ma/-mə is the negative suffix, which is strictly unstressable. In this negative verbal-noun construction, the stress precedes that negative suffix (e.g., oxúmamasında).

The negative indefinite future is a separate stress pattern: compare gəlməz, with stress on the final syllable, rather than extending the command rule to every finite form.

3. Usage with Possessives and Cases:
In standard formal Azerbaijani, the -ma/-mə verbal noun is most frequently used with the 3rd person possessive. For the 3rd person possessive, the buffer 's' is used (e.g., gəlmə-s-i), and when adding case suffixes to this 3rd person form, a buffer 'n' is required. A very common usage is with the accusative case (e.g., Onun gəlməsini istəyirəm - I want him to come). When adding case suffixes to an unpossessed -ma/-mə verbal noun, a 'y' buffer is used for the dative case (e.g., oxumaya), while an 'n' buffer is used for the accusative case (e.g., oxumanı). For 1st and 2nd person possessives, the -maq/-mək infinitive is heavily preferred in modern prose (e.g., mənim oxumağım - my reading), though -ma/-mə forms (e.g., mənim oxumam, sənin gəlmən) are still grammatically valid and appear in literature, poetry, and dialects.

4. Compound Nouns (İzafət):
A major, highly productive use of the -ma/-mə verbal noun is forming unpossessed compound nouns to indicate purpose or function. In these constructions, the verbal noun acts as a modifier for another noun, such as gözləmə zalı (waiting room) or yoxlama işi (assessment/test).

5. Contrast with -maq/-mək:
While both forms act as verbal nouns, -ma/-mə is heavily preferred in formal and written Azerbaijani for 3rd-person possessive constructions (e.g., onun gəlməsi). In contrast, -maq/-mək handles general unpossessed actions (e.g., oxumaq faydalıdır - reading is useful) and handles possessed actions perfectly well, being the usual choice for 1st and 2nd person possessives.

6. Subordinate Clauses:
The 3rd person form (-ması/-məsi) is the standard way to form subordinate clauses with postpositions or adjectives. For example: Onun gəlməsi üçün (For him to come) or Onun oxuması vacibdir (It is important that he reads).

7. Lexicalization:
Many words formed with this suffix have become standard nouns (lexicalized). Examples include dondurma (ice cream), qovurma (fried meat), süzmə (strained yogurt), yazma (headscarf), bölmə (department/section), and düymə (button).

8. Adjectival Use:
Words formed with the -ma/-mə suffix are frequently used as adjectives to describe how something was made or processed. Examples include hörmə saç (braided hair), süzmə qatıq (strained yogurt), and qızartma ət (fried meat).

9. Register:
It is the backbone of formal, legal, and academic Azerbaijani, allowing for dense constructions like qərarların icra edilməsi (the execution of decisions).