Ø/-lar/-lər
Third Person Present Endings
In the Azerbaijani present tense, the third-person singular (O) is the verb root + tense marker with no extra suffix. The third-person plural (Onlar) adds -lar or -lər.
How It Works
To conjugate a verb in the third person present tense, follow these steps:
1. Identify the Root: Start with the verb root (e.g., gəl for 'come').
2. Add the Tense Marker: Attach -ır, -ir, -ur, or -ür based on vowel harmony. If the root ends in a vowel, use -yır, -yir, -yur, or -yür.
3. Apply Personal Endings:
- Singular (O): No ending is added (Ø). Example: O gəlir (He/she/it is coming).
- Plural (Onlar): Add -lar (after -ır, -ur) or -lər (after -ir, -ür). Example: Onlar gəlirlər (They are coming).
Important Nuance: In Azerbaijani, if the subject is an inanimate object (like 'books' or 'cars'), the verb usually stays in the singular form even if the subject is plural. For example: Avtobuslar gəlir (The buses are coming) is more natural than Avtobuslar gəlirlər.
Examples (4)
- O, hər gün kitab oxuyur.
He/she reads a book every day.
Word by Word: He/she, every day book reads.
The verb 'oxuyur' consists of the root 'oxu', the buffer 'y', and the tense marker 'ur'. There is no personal suffix for the 3rd person singular.
- Uşaqlar həyətdə oynayırlar.
The children are playing in the yard.
Word by Word: Children yard-in play-ing-plural.
Since 'children' are human, the plural suffix '-lar' is added to the verb 'oynayır'.
- Qapılar açılır.
The doors are opening.
Word by Word: Doors open-ing.
Even though 'doors' (qapılar) is plural, the verb remains singular ('açılır') because the subject is inanimate.
- Onlar Bakıda yaşayırlar.
They live in Baku.
Word by Word: They Baku-in live-ing-plural.
The plural pronoun 'onlar' is paired with the plural verb form 'yaşayırlar'.
Common Mistakes
Adding the copula (-dır) to a present tense verb.
O gəlirdir.O gəlir.Learners often confuse the nominal 'is' suffix (-dır) with the verbal conjugation. In the present tense, the marker -ir already functions as 'is doing/does'.
Always using the plural verb for plural objects.
Maşınlar gəlirlər.Maşınlar gəlir.In Azerbaijani, plural inanimate subjects (objects, ideas) typically take a singular verb.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand third person present endings, you first need to know how to form the present tense stem using the -ır/-ir/-ur/-ür suffix. Additionally, you should be familiar with the third person pronouns (o, onlar) and the basic plural suffix -lar/-lər, which is reused for the plural verb form.
- -ır/-ir/-ur/-ür (indiki zaman)Present Tense After Consonant Stems
The third person present endings are attached to the present tense stem formed by this suffix.
Level 1 - o (şəxs əvəzliyi)Third Person Singular Pronoun
Understanding the third person singular pronoun is necessary to identify the subject that takes the zero ending.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- onlarThird Person Plural Pronoun
The third-person plural pronoun used with the -lar/-lər ending.
Level 1 - -lar/-lərPlural Suffix
The general plural suffix for nouns, which follows the same vowel harmony rules as the verbal plural ending.
Level 1 - Zero third person nominal predicate
The zero ending for 3rd person is also found in some nominal sentences, though verbs and nouns handle 'to be' differently.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice Ø/-lar/-lər in Bubblegum
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