-san/-sən (ismi xəbər)

Second Person Singular Nominal Ending

Level 1

Use -san or -sən to say 'You are [something]' when speaking informally to one person.

How It Works

In Azerbaijani, you don't need a separate word for 'are' in simple sentences. Instead, you attach a predicative suffix to the end of the word.

1. Vowel Harmony Rules:
The suffix has two forms based on the last vowel of the word it attaches to:

  • -san: Used after back vowels (a, ı, o, u). Example: yaxşı (good) → yaxşısan.
  • -sən: Used after front vowels (e, ə, i, ö, ü). Example: tələbə (student) → tələbəsən.

2. Stress and Pronunciation:
These suffixes are unstressed (enclitic). When you speak, the word stress falls on the syllable immediately before the suffix. For example, in tələbəsən, the stress is on the last 'ə' of tələbə, not on the suffix.

3. Dropping the Pronoun:
Azerbaijani is a 'pro-drop' language. Because the suffix -san/-sən already tells us the subject is 'you', the pronoun sən is often omitted in natural speech unless you want to emphasize who you are talking about.

4. No Buffer Consonant:
Unlike the first person suffix (-am/-əm), the second person suffix starts with a consonant ('s'). Therefore, you never need to add a buffer 'y', even if the word ends in a vowel.

5. Social Context:
This form is strictly informal. Use it with friends, family, or children. For formal situations or when speaking to multiple people, you must use -sınız/-siniz/-sunuz/-sünüz.

6. Negation:
To say 'you are not', use the word deyil. The suffix moves from the noun/adjective to the word deyil: Tələbə deyilsən (You are not a student).

Examples (5)

  1. Sən çox yaxşısan.

    You are very good.

    Word by Word: You very good-are.

    The suffix -san is added to the adjective 'yaxşı' (good) because it ends in a back vowel (ı).

  2. Tələbəsən?

    Are you a student?

    Word by Word: Student-are?

    Azerbaijani is a pro-drop language; the pronoun sən is often omitted because the suffix -sən already indicates the subject is 'you'.

  3. Sən haralısan?

    Where are you from?

    Word by Word: You where-from-are?

    This is a common way to ask someone's origin informally. The stress falls on the syllable 'lı', just before the suffix.

  4. Sən hələ uşaqsan.

    You are still a child.

    Word by Word: You still child-are.

    The suffix -san attaches to the noun 'uşaq' (child).

  5. Sən hazır deyilsən.

    You are not ready.

    Word by Word: You ready not-are.

    In negative sentences, the suffix attaches to deyil instead of the adjective 'hazır'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 4-way vowel harmony (Turkish style).

    Sən yaxşısın.
    Sən yaxşısan.

    In Azerbaijani, this suffix only uses -san or -sən. Do not use -sın, -sin, -sun, or -sün.

  • Adding an unnecessary buffer 'y' after vowels.

    Sən tələbəyəsən.
    Sən tələbəsən.

    Because the suffix starts with 's', no buffer consonant is required between vowels.

  • Confusing the predicative suffix with the possessive suffix.

    Sən dostun.
    Sən dostsan.

    'Dostun' means 'your friend'. To say 'you are a friend', you must use the predicative suffix -san.

How It Connects

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-san/-sən (ismi xəbər)Level 1Second Person Singular Nominal Ending

Learn This First

To understand the second person singular nominal ending, a learner should first be familiar with the general concept of nominal predicates in Azerbaijani (often introduced via the first person) and the specific suffix used for the second person singular in verbal conjugations.

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Words in This Pattern

-sən