-(I)nız/-(I)niz/-(I)nuz/-(I)nüz

Second Person Plural or Polite Possessive Suffix

Level 1

Azerbaijani uses the suffix -(ı)nız (and its variants) to show possession for 'you' (plural or formal). It attaches directly to the noun.

How It Works

The second-person plural possessive suffix is essential for both plural address ('you all') and polite singular address ('you' formal).

1. Vowel Harmony (4-way):
The suffix has four forms based on the last vowel of the noun:

  • -ınız: after a, ı (e.g., adınız)
  • -iniz: after e, ə, i (e.g., eviniz)
  • -unuz: after o, u (e.g., dostunuz)
  • -ünüz: after ö, ü (e.g., gözünüz)

2. Vowel vs. Consonant Stems:
If the noun ends in a consonant, use the full suffix: kitab + -ınız = kitabınız.
If the noun ends in a vowel, the initial vowel of the suffix is usually dropped: ana + -nız = ananız. However, certain loanwords (like mövqe) behave differently (see Special Cases).

3. Consonant Changes:
Multi-syllable native nouns ending in q or k usually change:

  • q → ğ: uşaq → uşağınız
  • k → y: çimərlik → çimərliyiniz

Note: Single-syllable words (e.g., kök, tük) and loanwords (e.g., park, bank) typically do not change.

4. Vowel Drop Rule:
Certain two-syllable nouns drop their second vowel when this suffix is added. This includes:

  • Body parts: burun (nose) → burnunuz, ağız (mouth) → ağzınız, çiyin (shoulder) → çiyniniz.
  • Common nouns: şəkil (picture) → şəkliniz, fikir (thought) → fikriniz, ömür (life) → ömrünüz.

5. Special Cases:
A few words use a -y- buffer instead of dropping the suffix vowel:

  • Native words: su (water) → suyunuz, nə (what) → nəyiniz.
  • Specific loanwords: mövqe (position) → mövqeyiniz, mənbə (source) → mənbəyiniz, mənşə (origin) → mənşəyiniz.

Examples (6)

  1. Sizin <grammar expression="-(I)nız/-(I)niz/-(I)nuz/-(I)nüz mənsubiyyət">adınız</grammar> nədir?

    What is your name? (Formal/Plural)

    Word by Word: Your name-your what-is?

    Here, the suffix -ınız is added to 'ad' (name) to show possession.

  2. Zəhmət olmasa, <grammar expression="-(I)nız/-(I)niz/-(I)nuz/-(I)nüz mənsubiyyət">biletlərinizi</grammar> göstərin.

    Please show your tickets.

    Word by Word: Trouble if-not, tickets-your-acc show.

    The suffix -inizi is added to the plural 'biletlər'. Note that the possessive suffix comes after the plural suffix.

  3. <grammar expression="-(I)nız/-(I)niz/-(I)nuz/-(I)nüz mənsubiyyət">Eviniz</grammar> çox rahatdır.

    Your house is very comfortable.

    Word by Word: House-your very comfortable-is.

    The suffix -iniz is used because 'ev' ends in a consonant and contains the vowel 'e'.

  4. <grammar expression="-(I)nız/-(I)niz/-(I)nuz/-(I)nüz mənsubiyyət">Ananız</grammar> necədir?

    How is your mother?

    Word by Word: Mother-your how-is?

    Since 'ana' ends in a vowel, we only add -nız.

  5. <grammar expression="-(I)nız/-(I)niz/-(I)nuz/-(I)nüz mənsubiyyət">Burnunuz</grammar> ağrıyır?

    Does your nose hurt?

    Word by Word: Nose-your hurts?

    Notice that 'burun' (nose) drops its second 'u' when the suffix is added: burun + unuz = burnunuz.

  6. <grammar expression="-(I)nız/-(I)niz/-(I)nuz/-(I)nüz mənsubiyyət">Uşağınız</grammar> neçə yaşındadır?

    How old is your child?

    Word by Word: Child-your how-many age-in-is?

    Notice the 'q' in 'uşaq' changes to 'ğ' before the possessive suffix.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the possessive suffix when using the pronoun 'sizin'.

    Sizin kitab haradadır?
    Sizin kitabınız haradadır?

    In Azerbaijani, the possessive suffix on the noun is mandatory, even if you use the possessive pronoun 'sizin'.

  • Confusing the possessive suffix with the personal ending (to be).

    Siz müəlliminiz.
    Siz müəllimsiniz.

    -(I)nız means 'your', while -(s)ınız means 'you are'. 'Müəlliminiz' means 'your teacher', while 'müəllimsiniz' means 'you are a teacher'.

  • Applying consonant changes to loanwords or single-syllable words.

    Sizin parğınız
    Sizin parkınız

    Loanwords like 'park' or 'aptek' and single-syllable words like 'tük' (hair) do not change their final consonant when adding this suffix.

How It Connects

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-(I)nız/-(I)niz/-(I)nuz/-(I)nüzLevel 1Second Person Plural or Polite Possessive Suffix

Learn This First

To understand the second person plural possessive suffix, learners should first be familiar with the basic concept of possession in Azerbaijani, specifically the second person singular form. Additionally, familiarity with other plural possessive suffixes helps in recognizing the structural patterns of four-way vowel harmony applied to plural endings.

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Patterns that build on this one.