biz

First Person Plural Pronoun

Level 1

Biz is the Azerbaijani word for 'we'. It is used to refer to a group that includes the speaker. Because Azerbaijani is a pro-drop language, the pronoun is often omitted if the verb suffix already makes the meaning clear.

How It Works

1. Usage and Omission
While biz means 'we', you will often hear native speakers leave it out. For example, instead of saying 'Biz tələbəyik' (We are students), they might just say 'Tələbəyik'. The pronoun is usually included only for emphasis or to avoid ambiguity.

2. Vowel Harmony and Suffixes
When using biz, the following word must agree with it using 4-way vowel harmony. The suffix is attached directly to the word:

  • -ıq (after a, ı): Biz azərbaycanlıyıq (We are Azerbaijani)
  • -ik (after e, ə, i): Biz gəlirik (We are coming)
  • -uq (after o, u): Biz dostuq (We are friends)
  • -ük (after ö, ü): Biz güclüyük (We are strong)

3. Case Declension
The pronoun biz changes its form depending on its role in the sentence:

  • Nominative: biz (we)
  • Genitive: bizim (our/of us) — Note: This is irregular; it uses -im instead of the standard -in.
  • Dative: bizə (to us)
  • Accusative: bizi (us - direct object)
  • Locative: bizdə (at/with us)
  • Ablative: bizdən (from us)

Examples (5)

  1. Biz tələbəyik.

    We are students.

    Word by Word: We student-are.

    Note the use of the buffer 'y' before the suffix '-ik' because 'tələbə' ends in a vowel.

  2. Bizim evimiz böyükdür.

    Our house is big.

    Word by Word: Our house-our big-is.

    This shows the irregular genitive form 'bizim' used to show possession.

  3. Biz hər gün parkda gəzirik.

    We walk in the park every day.

    Word by Word: We every day park-in walk-we.

    The verb 'gəzirik' uses the suffix '-ik' to match the subject 'biz'.

  4. Bu kitablar bizdədir.

    These books are with us.

    Word by Word: These books us-at-are.

    Demonstrates the locative case 'bizdə' (at/with us).

  5. Bizə kömək edin.

    Help us.

    Word by Word: To-us help do.

    Uses the dative case 'bizə' (to us) as the object of the request.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the mandatory predicate suffix.

    Biz tələbə.
    Biz tələbəyik.

    In Azerbaijani, you cannot just say the pronoun and the noun. You must attach the personal suffix to the predicate.

  • Using the regular genitive ending '-in' instead of '-im'.

    Bizin kitabımız.
    Bizim kitabımız.

    In standard Azerbaijani the genitive of 'biz' is 'bizim', not the regular-looking 'bizin'.

How It Connects

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bizLevel 1First Person Plural Pronoun

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biz