kim/nə/hara + -sa

The free-choice conditional relative is the standard way to express 'whoever/whatever/wherever' in Azerbaijani, and with the addition of the particle da/də, 'no matter who/what/where'. It is formed by placing a question word at the start of a dependent clause and attaching the conditional suffix to the verb.

1. Structure:
There are two formulas depending on whether a tense is used:

• Simple Conditional: [Question Word] + [Verb Stem] + [-sa/-sə] + [Personal Ending] (e.g., gəlsən)
• Tensed Conditional: [Question Word] + [Verb Stem] + [Tense Suffix] + [Personal Ending] + [-sa/-sə] (e.g., gəlirsənsə). Note that the conditional particle here is actually a shortened form of the enclitic isə (e.g., gəlir isə → gəlirsə), which is why it attaches after the personal ending for tensed verbs.

While these are technically dependent clauses that are usually followed by a main clause, in colloquial Azerbaijani, they are frequently left hanging as standalone thoughts, wishes, or threats (e.g., Nə desən... meaning 'Whatever you say... [I won't argue]'). When followed by a main clause, the main clause often uses a matching demonstrative or personal pronoun (like o or bu) to refer back to the question word in the dependent clause. For example:

• Kim gəlsə, o da görəcək. (Whoever comes, they will see. - Note how 'o' refers back to 'kim')
• Nə desən, mən razıyam. (Whatever you say, I agree.)

Common question words used include:

• kim (who) → Kim gəlsə... (Whoever comes...) or Kim gəlirsə... (Whoever is coming...)
• nə (what) → Nə desən... (Whatever you say...)
• hara (where) → Hara getsən... (Wherever you go...)
• nə vaxt (when) → Nə vaxt gəlsən... (Whenever you come...)
• necə (how) → Necə istəsən... (However you want...)

2. Case Endings on Question Words:
Importantly, all question words in this construction can take various case endings depending on their grammatical role in the clause. For example, kim can become kimi (whom) or kimə (to whom), and nə can become nəyi (what - definite) or nəyə (to what).

• Kimi görsən... (Whomever you see...)
• Nəyə baxsan... (Whatever you look at...)

3. Negative Form:
To form the negative version without a tense suffix, use the negative conditional suffix -masa/-məsə (which combines the negative suffix -ma/-mə with the conditional -sa/-sə): [Question Word] + [Verb Stem] + [-masa/-məsə] + [Personal Ending]. If a tense suffix is used, the negative suffix precedes the tense marker.

• Kim gəlməsə... (Whoever doesn't come...)
• Nəyi istəməsən... (Whatever you don't want...)

4. The Role of da/də and belə:
The particle da/də is the primary marker that distinguishes a concessive conditional ('no matter who...') from a simple relative conditional. Without it, the sentence often functions as a simple 'if/whoever' statement. Adding da/də after the conditional verb (e.g., Kim gəlsə də, qapını açma - No matter who comes, don't open the door) creates the 'no matter' nuance. The particle belə (even) can also replace da/də to create the exact same concessive 'no matter' meaning, though it is slightly more characteristic of formal or written language.

5. Emphasis with 'hər':
While the conditional verb construction is the core grammatical engine, the word hər (every) is often added before the question word for emphasis (e.g., hər kim, hər nə). This is common in both colloquial and formal Azerbaijani and helps clarify that the choice is truly universal.