-ma/-mə + Possessive Ending

Possessed Verbal Noun

Level 5

The -ma/-mə + mənsubiyyət (possessed verbal noun) turns a verb into a noun while keeping the 'actor' clear. It is the standard way to say 'my doing,' 'your coming,' or 'his/her reading' in Azerbaijani.

How It Works

The possessed verbal noun is a cornerstone of advanced Azerbaijani syntax. It allows you to treat a whole action as a single noun unit within a sentence.

1. Formation:
The suffix -ma/-mə is added to the verb stem, followed directly by a possessive suffix. Because the verbal noun ends in a vowel, the possessive suffixes lose their initial vowel:

  • 1st Person: -m / -miz (e.g., gəlməm, gəlməmiz)
  • 2nd Person: -n / -niz (e.g., gəlmən, gəlməniz)
  • 3rd Person: Uses the buffer -s- resulting in -sı/-si (e.g., gəlməsi, oxuması).

2. Usage:
This form is used when the action is the subject or object of another verb. It is often preceded by a pronoun in the genitive case to emphasize the actor.

3. Stress:
Unlike the negative imperative, where the stress falls on the syllable before the suffix, in the verbal noun, the stress falls on the -ma/-mə suffix itself.

4. Case Endings:
Because it functions as a noun, it can take any case ending. Note that for the 3rd person, you must use the buffer -n- before the case suffix (e.g., gəlməsinə - 'to his/her coming').

Examples (5)

  1. Mənim gecikməm hamını narahat etdi.

    My being late worried everyone.

    Word by Word: My late-staying-my all-people-ACC worry did.

    Here, 'gecikməm' (my being late) acts as the subject. The 1st person singular possessive suffix -m is added directly to the verbal noun.

  2. Onun bu məsələyə qarışması düzgün deyil.

    His interfering in this matter is not right.

    Word by Word: His this matter-DAT interfering-his right is-not.

    The 3rd person uses the -si suffix (qarışması) to show it is 'his' or 'her' action.

  3. Sizin bizə kömək etməniz çox vacibdir.

    Your helping us is very important.

    Word by Word: Your us-DAT help doing-your very important-is.

    The verbal noun 'etməniz' (your doing/helping) uses the 2nd person plural possessive -niz.

  4. Mən sənin gəlmənə çox şadam.

    I am very glad about your coming.

    Word by Word: I your coming-your-DAT very glad-am.

    The verbal noun 'gəlmən' takes the dative case -ə because the adjective 'şad' (glad) requires the dative.

  5. Onun burada qalmasından xəbərim yoxdur.

    I have no news of his staying here.

    Word by Word: His here-LOC staying-his-ABL news-my nonexistence-is.

    When adding the ablative case -dan to a 3rd person verbal noun, the buffer -n- is required.

Common Mistakes

  • Both forms are correct; they are built from different bases.

    Different MeaningMənim gəlməyim vacibdir.
    Mənim gəlməm vacibdir.

    gəlməyim comes from the -maq/-mək form, gəlməm from the verbal noun in -ma/-mə. Both mean 'my coming'. With the -ma/-mə noun, the possessive -m or -n attaches directly to the vowel.

  • Confusing the verbal noun with the negative imperative.

    Sənin yazmayın...
    Sənin yazman...

    'Yazmayın' is the negative imperative ('Do not write'). To say 'your writing', use the possessive form 'yazman' (singular) or 'yazmanız' (plural/polite).

  • Forgetting the buffer -n- before case endings in the 3rd person.

    Onun gəlməsiə şadam.
    Onun gəlməsinə şadam.

    When a case suffix follows a 3rd person possessive, you must use the buffer -n-.

How It Connects

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

-ma/-mə + Possessive EndingLevel 5Possessed Verbal Noun

Learn This First

To understand the possessed verbal noun, you must first know how to form the basic verbal noun with -ma/-mə. Since this construction functions like a noun phrase (e.g., 'my going'), you need to be familiar with possessive suffixes and the genitive-possessive relationship used to link a subject to an action.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

And 15 more in the full list.

Words in This Pattern

-mə