-(n)ın/-(n)in/-(n)un/-(n)ün (yiyəlik hal)

Genitive Case

Level 2

The genitive case (yiyəlik hal) marks the 'possessor' in a relationship. It uses the suffixes -(n)ın, -(n)in, -(n)un, or -(n)ün and almost always pairs with a possessive suffix on the following noun.

How It Works

The genitive case follows the vowel harmony rules (4-way harmony).

1. Suffix Forms:

  • After consonants: -ın, -in, -un, -ün
  • After vowels: -nın, -nin, -nun, -nün (uses the buffer -n-)

2. Special Pronoun Forms:
The first person pronouns end in -im, and demonstrative pronouns use an -n- stem change:

  • mən (I) → mənim (my/mine)
  • biz (we) → bizim (our/ours)
  • bu (this) → bunun (of this)
  • o (that) → onun (of that/his/her)

3. Consonant Changes:
In polysyllabic words ending in -k or -q, the final letter usually changes to -y or -ğ (e.g., çiçək → çiçəyin, uşaq → uşağın). However, monosyllabic words (türk → türkün) and most loanwords (park → parkın) do not change.

4. Vowel Drop:
Some two-syllable words drop their last vowel when adding the genitive suffix: şəkil (picture) → şəklin, nəsil (generation) → nəslin. This also happens in some native words, such as ağız (mouth) → ağzın.

5. Irregular Vowel Buffer:
The words su (water) and nə (what) use a -y- buffer instead of -n-: suyun, nəyin.

Examples (5)

  1. Məktəbin həyəti çox böyükdür.

    The school's yard is very big.

    Word by Word: School-of yard-its very big-is.

    'Məktəb' (school) takes the genitive suffix '-in', and 'həyət' (yard) takes the 3rd person possessive suffix '-i'.

  2. Mənim qardaşımın kitabı buradadır.

    My brother's book is here.

    Word by Word: My brother-of book-his here-is.

    'Mən' (I) has the irregular genitive form 'mənim'. 'Qardaşım' (my brother) takes the genitive '-ın' to show possession of the book.

  3. Bakının küçələri işıqlıdır.

    The streets of Baku are bright.

    Word by Word: Baku-of streets-its bright-are.

    'Bakı' ends in a vowel, so it uses the buffer '-n-' before the genitive suffix '-nın'.

  4. Uşağın şəkli çox gözəldir.

    The child's picture is very beautiful.

    Word by Word: Child-of picture-his very beautiful-is.

    'Uşaq' (child) is polysyllabic, so 'q' changes to 'ğ'. 'Şəkil' (picture) undergoes a vowel drop, becoming 'şəkli' when the possessive is added.

  5. Bizim evin qapısı bağlıdır.

    The door of our house is closed.

    Word by Word: Our house-of door-its closed-is.

    'Biz' (we) has the irregular genitive form 'bizim'. 'Ev' (house) takes the standard '-in' suffix.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the possessive suffix on the second noun.

    Muradın kitab
    Muradın kitabı

    In Azerbaijani, the genitive case on the first noun requires a corresponding possessive suffix on the second noun.

  • Applying the -k/-q change to monosyllabic words.

    türün
    türkün

    While polysyllabic words like 'uşaq' change to 'uşağın', monosyllabic words like 'türk' or 'kök' usually keep their final consonant.

  • Using standard suffixes for 'mən' and 'biz'.

    mənin, bizin
    mənim, bizim

    The first person pronouns 'mən' and 'biz' are irregular and end in -im instead of -in.

How It Connects

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

-(n)ın/-(n)in/-(n)un/-(n)ün (yiyəlik hal)Level 2Genitive Case

Learn This First

To learn the genitive case, you must first understand how vowel harmony dictates suffix changes and how nouns function in their basic form. Crucially, the genitive case (the possessor) is typically paired with a third-person possessive suffix (the possessed object) to create meaningful phrases like 'the cat's tail'.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.