deyil

Nominal Negation

Level 1

Use deyil to say that something or someone is not a certain thing, quality, or in a certain place. It is the negative version of 'to be'.

How It Works

1. Basic Function
Deyil is used to negate nominal predicates. This includes:

  • Identity: O, müəllim deyil. (He is not a teacher.)
  • Quality: Hava soyuq deyil. (The weather is not cold.)
  • Location: Biz evdə deyilik. (We are not at home.)

2. Suffix Migration
In an affirmative sentence like Mən tələbəyəm (I am a student), the personal suffix is on the noun. In the negative, the noun stays in its base form, and the suffix moves to deyil: Mən tələbə deyiləm.

3. Vowel Harmony
Because deyil ends in a front, unrounded vowel (i), all suffixes attached to it must follow front-vowel harmony. This means you only use the front-vowel versions of suffixes (e.g., -əm, -sən, -dir, -ik, -siniz, -lər).

4. Conjugation Table

  • Mən ... deyiləm (I am not)
  • Sən ... deyilsən (You are not)
  • O ... deyil(dir) (He/She/It is not)
  • Biz ... deyilik (We are not)
  • Siz ... deyilsiniz (You all/You polite are not)
  • Onlar ... deyillər / deyildirlər (They are not)

Examples (4)

  1. Mən yorğun deyiləm.

    I am not tired.

    Word by Word: I tired not-am.

    The adjective 'yorğun' (tired) is negated by 'deyil', and the 1st person suffix '-əm' attaches to 'deyil'.

  2. Bu, mənim kitabım deyil.

    This is not my book.

    Word by Word: This, my book-my not-is.

    Here, 'deyil' negates the possession. Note that the 3rd person suffix '-dir' is often omitted in speech.

  3. Onlar indi Bakıda deyillər.

    They are not in Baku now.

    Word by Word: They now Baku-in not-are.

    The locative case '-da' stays on 'Bakı', while the plural personal suffix '-lər' attaches to 'deyil'.

  4. Sən tələbə deyilsən?

    Aren't you a student?

    Word by Word: You student not-are?

    A question formed by adding a question mark (or rising intonation) to the negative nominal statement.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping the personal suffix on the noun instead of moving it to 'deyil'.

    Mən həkiməm deyil.
    Mən həkim deyiləm.

    The personal suffix must 'migrate' to the negative particle. You cannot have the suffix on both words or only on the noun.

  • Using 'yox' to negate a quality or identity.

    Bu alma şirin yoxdur.
    Bu alma şirin deyil.

    'Yox' or 'yoxdur' is for existence (there is not). 'Deyil' is for identity or quality (it is not X).

  • Violating vowel harmony on the suffix attached to 'deyil'.

    O, uşaq deyildır.
    O, uşaq deyildir.

    Even if the noun (uşaq) has back vowels, the suffix attaches to 'deyil', which always requires front-vowel suffixes like '-dir'.

How It Connects

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deyilLevel 1Nominal Negation

Learn This First

To understand 'deyil', you first need to know how to form basic affirmative sentences using nominal person endings. Since 'deyil' negates nouns and adjectives, it functions as the base for these same person suffixes (like -am, -san, -dir) to indicate who or what is being described.

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deyil