-dırlar/-dirlər/-durlar/-dürlər

Third Person Plural Nominal Ending

Level 1

Use -dırlar/-dirlər/-durlar/-dürlər to say 'they are' when describing people or specific groups. It follows four-way vowel harmony.

How It Works

In Azerbaijani, the third-person plural nominal predicate ending is used to link a plural subject to a description or identity.

1. Vowel Harmony:
The suffix follows the vowel harmony rules. The first part (-dır/dir/dur/dür) follows four-way harmony, and the second part (-lar/lər) follows two-way harmony:

  • -dırlar: After a, ı (e.g., mehribandırlar)
  • -dirlər: After e, ə, i (e.g., tələbədirlər)
  • -durlar: After o, u (e.g., dostdurlar)
  • -dürlər: After ö, ü (e.g., güclüdürlər)

2. No Buffer Consonants:
Because this suffix begins with the consonant 'd', you attach it directly to the word stem even if it ends in a vowel (e.g., tələbə + -dirlər). You do not need to use a buffer 'y'.

3. Formal vs. Informal:
In formal writing, the full ending is used. In casual speech, speakers often drop the 'r' (e.g., -dılar). Most commonly, if the subject onlar is already present, the plural marker -lar/-lər is often dropped from the predicate entirely (e.g., Onlar tələbədir).

4. The Agreement Rule:
Azerbaijani distinguishes between humans, animals, and objects:

  • Inanimate objects: The predicate must be singular (e.g., Bu kitablar maraqlıdır).
  • Animals: The plural suffix is optional and stylistic.
  • Humans: The plural suffix is standard, though it can be dropped in informal speech if the subject is clearly plural.

Examples (5)

  1. Onlar tələbədirlər.

    They are students.

    Word by Word: They student-are.

    Standard use of the suffix with a noun referring to people.

  2. Uşaqlar çox ağıllıdırlar.

    The children are very smart.

    Word by Word: Children very smart-are.

    The suffix attaches to the adjective 'ağıllı' (smart) to describe the children.

  3. Bizim qonşularımız mehribandırlar.

    Our neighbors are friendly.

    Word by Word: Our neighbors-our friendly-are.

    Uses -dırlar because the last vowel in 'mehriban' is 'a'.

  4. Bu güllər gözəldir.

    These flowers are beautiful.

    Word by Word: These flowers beautiful-is.

    Note that the plural '-lər' is omitted from the predicate because 'flowers' are inanimate.

  5. Onlar hələ də dostdurlar.

    They are still friends.

    Word by Word: They still also friend-are.

    Uses -durlar to match the back-rounded vowel 'o' in 'dost'.

Common Mistakes

  • Pluralizing both the noun and the predicate.

    Onlar tələbələrdirlər.
    Onlar tələbədirlər.

    In standard Azerbaijani, if the predicate has the plural ending, the noun itself usually stays singular.

  • Using the plural ending for inanimate objects.

    Bu evlər bahalıdırlar.
    Bu evlər bahalıdır.

    For inanimate objects like houses (evlər), the predicate must take the singular form -dır.

  • Adding a buffer 'y' after a vowel.

    Onlar tələbəyidirlər.
    Onlar tələbədirlər.

    Unlike first or second person endings, this suffix starts with 'd', so you never need a buffer consonant, even if the word ends in a vowel.

How It Connects

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

-dırlar/-dirlər/-durlar/-dürlərLevel 1Third Person Plural Nominal Ending

Learn This First

To understand the third person plural nominal ending, learners must first be familiar with the third person singular assertive ending (-dır/-dir/-dur/-dür), as the plural version simply adds the plural marker to this base. Additionally, a basic understanding of vowel harmony is required to select the correct variant of the suffix.

Words in This Pattern

-dirlər