qədər

Extent or Equality with Qədər

Level 2

Use qədər to say 'until' a time, 'as far as' a place, or 'as much as' someone else. It changes the case of the word it follows depending on the meaning.

How It Works

The postposition qədər is versatile in Azerbaijani, covering both physical/temporal limits and comparisons of quantity.

1. Expressing Limits (Until/Up to)
When you want to say 'until five o'clock' or 'as far as the park', the noun must be in the dative case (-a/-ə).

  • Bakıya qədər (As far as Baku)
  • Sabaha qədər (Until tomorrow)

2. Expressing Equality (As much as)
When comparing two things to show they are equal in degree or amount, the rules change:

  • Nouns: Use the nominative case (e.g., uşaq qədər - as much as a child).
  • Pronouns: Use the genitive case (e.g., mənim qədər - as much as me). Note: onlar (they) usually stays nominative: onlar qədər.

3. Qədər vs. Kimi
While both can mean 'until' or 'like', qədər focuses on quantity/degree (how much), whereas kimi focuses on quality/similarity (what it is like).

Examples (5)

  1. Biz kəndə qədər piyada getdik.

    We walked as far as the village.

    Word by Word: We village-to until on-foot went.

    Here, 'kənd' (village) takes the dative suffix '-ə' because 'qədər' indicates a spatial limit.

  2. Dərs saat beşə qədər davam etdi.

    The lesson continued until five o'clock.

    Word by Word: Lesson hour five-to until continuation did.

    Time limits also require the dative case on the noun or number.

  3. O, sənin qədər sürətli qaça bilir.

    He can run as fast as you.

    Word by Word: He your as-much-as fast run-to can.

    For comparison with a pronoun, 'sən' (you) changes to the genitive 'sənin'.

  4. Mən bu kitabı axşama qədər oxumalıyam.

    I must read this book until evening.

    Word by Word: I this book-acc evening-to until read-must-am.

    Uses the dative case to show a deadline or time limit.

  5. Heç kim mənim qədər sevinmədi.

    Nobody was as happy as me.

    Word by Word: No who my as-much-as rejoiced-not.

    Compares the degree of happiness using the genitive form of the pronoun 'mən'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative case for time/space limits.

    Axşam qədər gözlədim.
    Axşama qədər gözlədim.

    When 'qədər' means 'until', the preceding word must be in the dative case (-a/-ə).

  • Using the nominative case for personal pronouns in comparisons.

    Mən qədər bilmir.
    Mənim qədər bilmir.

    Personal pronouns (except 'onlar') must be in the genitive case when used with 'qədər' for comparison.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

qədərLevel 2Extent or Equality with Qədər

Learn This First

To use 'qədər' correctly, you need to understand how it interacts with noun cases. It functions as a postposition that governs the dative case for spatial limits and the genitive case for personal pronouns when expressing equality in amount or degree.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

qədər