-(n)ın/-(n)in/-(n)un/-(n)ün

Genitive Possessor Case

Level 1

The genitive case (yiyəlik hal) identifies who something belongs to. It uses the suffixes -(n)ın, -(n)in, -(n)un, or -(n)ün based on vowel harmony.

How It Works

The genitive case is essential for building relationships between nouns. It follows vowel harmony rules:

1. Suffix Selection:

  • After consonants: -ın, -in, -un, -ün
  • After vowels: -nın, -nin, -nun, -nün (using 'n' as a buffer)

2. The Genitive-Possessive Pair:
In Azerbaijani, a noun in the genitive case almost always requires the following noun to have a possessive suffix. For example, in tələbənin kitabı (the student's book), tələbənin is the possessor (genitive) and kitabı has the third person possessive suffix.

3. Irregular Pronouns:
The pronouns mən (I) and biz (we) use -im: mənim, bizim.

4. Definite vs. Indefinite Genitive:

  • Definite: Used for specific ownership (e.g., məktəbin həyəti - the school's yard).
  • Indefinite: The first noun has no suffix (zero suffix) when it describes a general type or name (e.g., Bakı şəhəri - Baku city).

5. Consonant Changes:
Native multi-syllabic nouns ending in -q change to -ğ, and those ending in -k change to -y (e.g., uşaq → uşağın). Note: Many loanwords (like hüquq, əxlaq, ittifaq) and monosyllabic words (like kök) do not change: hüququn, kökün.

6. Irregularities:
The words su (water) and nə (what) use a 'y' buffer instead of 'n': suyun, nəyin.

Examples (5)

  1. Mənim kitabım

    My book

    Word by Word: Me-of book-my

    The pronoun mən is irregular and takes -im in the genitive case.

  2. Bakı şəhəri

    The city of Baku

    Word by Word: Baku city-its

    This is an indefinite genitive. When the relationship is a general name or category, the first noun takes no suffix (zero suffix), but the second noun still takes a possessive suffix.

  3. Kökün rəngi

    The color of the root

    Word by Word: Root-of color-its

    Monosyllabic words like 'kök' (root) usually do not undergo consonant changes (k to y) when adding the genitive suffix.

  4. Anarın evi

    Anar's house

    Word by Word: Anar-of house-his

    Anar ends in a consonant, so we add -ın. The word 'ev' (house) takes the third-person possessive suffix -i.

  5. Suyun dadı

    The taste of the water

    Word by Word: Water-of taste-its

    The word 'su' is irregular and uses the 'y' buffer (suyun) instead of the standard 'n' buffer.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the possessive suffix on the second noun.

    Anarın kitab
    Anarın kitabı

    In Azerbaijani, you must mark both the possessor (genitive) and the possessed item (possessive suffix). Saying 'Anarın kitab' is like saying 'Anar's book' but leaving the 's' off the relationship.

  • Using the wrong buffer consonant for vowels.

    Anayın evi
    Ananın evi

    While the dative case uses 'y' as a buffer, the genitive case always uses 'n' for standard nouns (except for 'su' and 'nə').

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

    mənin kitabım, bizin evimiz
    mənim kitabım, bizim evimiz

    The first-person pronouns 'mən' and 'biz' are irregular in the genitive case; they take -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)ünLevel 1Genitive Possessor Case

Learn This First

The genitive case (yiyəlik hal) is used to indicate ownership or possession. In Azerbaijani, a possessive construction is a two-part system: the possessor is marked with the genitive case, and the possessed object is marked with a possessive suffix. Therefore, you should be familiar with basic possessive suffixes before learning how to mark the possessor.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.