-ları/-ləri

Third Person Plural Possessive Suffix

Level 1

Use -ları or -ləri to indicate that multiple objects belong to a plural 'them'. It follows 2-way vowel harmony.

How It Works

The suffix -ları/-ləri is used in the Azerbaijani possessive construction when the possessor is plural and the objects owned are also plural.

1. Vowel Harmony:
It follows 2-way vowel harmony:

  • -ları: Used after back vowels (a, ı, o, u). Example: kitab (book) → kitabları (their books).
  • -ləri: Used after front vowels (e, ə, i, ö, ü). Example: ev (house) → evləri (their houses).

2. The Ambiguity Rule:
A critical feature of -ları/-ləri is that it is also used when a singular possessor owns plural objects. Without a pronoun, the word kitabları can mean:

  • "His/her books" (Onun kitabları)
  • "Their books" (Onların kitabları)

To be clear, you often need to look at the pronoun or the context.

3. Number Agreement:
If a group shares one object, you typically use the third person singular possessive suffix (e.g., onların otağı - their room). Use -ları/-ləri when there are multiple objects (e.g., onların otaqları - their rooms). With an explicit plural owner, onların evləri can also mean 'their house', so context decides.

4. No Buffer 's':
Unlike the singular version, this plural version does not need a buffer 's' when the word ends in a vowel. You simply attach it directly: ata + ları = ataları (their fathers).

5. Case Suffixes:
When adding case endings after this suffix, you must use a buffer 'n' (except for the nominative case).

Examples (5)

  1. Onların evləri çox böyükdür.

    Their houses are very big.

    Word by Word: Their houses-their very big-is.

    In Azerbaijani, 'evləri' indicates that there are multiple houses belonging to 'them'.

  2. Uşaqların oyuncaqları buradadır.

    The children's toys are here.

    Word by Word: Children-of toys-their here-is.

    The suffix -ları is attached to 'oyuncaq' (toy) because there are multiple toys belonging to the children.

  3. Onun kitabları və onların kitabları.

    His books and their books.

    Word by Word: His books-his and their books-their.

    Notice that 'kitabları' looks identical in both cases. The context or the pronoun (onun vs. onların) tells you if the owner is singular or plural.

  4. Onların ataları müəllimdir.

    Their fathers are teachers.

    Word by Word: Their fathers-their teacher-is.

    This refers to the fathers of different people in a group. If they were siblings sharing one father, 'onların atası' would be used instead.

  5. Qonşuların maşınları küçədədir.

    The neighbors' cars are in the street.

    Word by Word: Neighbors-of cars-their street-in-is.

    The suffix -ları indicates multiple cars belonging to the plural 'neighbors'.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the buffer 'n' before case suffixes.

    Onların evləridə yaşayıram.
    Onların evlərində yaşayıram.

    When adding a case suffix like -da/-də (in) after a third-person possessive, you must insert a buffer 'n'.

  • Using a buffer 's' for words ending in vowels.

    Onların atasıları.
    Onların ataları.

    The plural possessive -ları/-ləri does not use the buffer 's' that the singular -sı/-si uses.

How It Connects

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

-ları/-ləriLevel 1Third Person Plural Possessive Suffix

Learn This First

To understand the third person plural possessive suffix, you first need to know how to form plurals in Azerbaijani, as the suffix is structurally related to the plural marker. Additionally, understanding the basic concept of possession through the third person singular suffix and the genitive case is necessary to correctly identify the relationship between the possessor and the possessed object.