-(s)ı/-(s)i/-(s)u/-(s)ü (mənsubiyyət)

Third-person Singular Possessive

Level 2

The suffix -(s)ı/-(s)i/-(s)u/-(s)ü attaches to a noun to show it belongs to someone or something else (3rd person). It also links two nouns together in common phrases like 'city of Baku'.

How It Works

This suffix is essential for expressing possession and forming noun compounds in Azerbaijani.

1. Morphological Rules:
The suffix follows the 4-way vowel harmony rule:

  • After a, ı: use -ı (consonant) or -sı (vowel)
  • After e, ə, i: use -i (consonant) or -si (vowel)
  • After o, u: use -u (consonant) or -su (vowel)
  • After ö, ü: use -ü (consonant) or -sü (vowel)

2. Consonant Changes and Exceptions:
Multi-syllabic native nouns ending in -q or -k usually change to -ğ or -y (e.g., uşaq → uşağı, çörək → çörəyi).
However, there are two major exceptions where the consonant stays the same:

  • Monosyllabic words: Most one-syllable words do not change (e.g., kök → kökü, ox → oxu).
  • Loanwords: Many words from Arabic, Persian, or European languages retain the original consonant (e.g., hüquq → hüququ, park → parkı, məktəb → məktəbi).

3. The 'Su' Exception:
The word su (water) uses a -y- buffer instead of -s-: suyu (his/her/its water).

4. Noun Compounds (Izafet):
This suffix is required on the second noun in indefinite compounds: musiqi məktəbi (music school), çay qaşığı (tea spoon).

5. Case Suffixes:
When adding a case suffix (like locative or dative) after this possessive suffix, you must use a buffer -n-. See buffer n after possessive for details.

Examples (5)

  1. Onun kitabı masanın üstündədir.

    His/her book is on the table.

    Word by Word: His book table top-its-at-is.

    Here, 'kitabı' uses the -ı suffix because 'kitab' ends in a consonant and has a back vowel.

  2. Anasının adı Leyladır.

    His/her mother's name is Leyla.

    Word by Word: Mother-his-of name-its Leyla-is.

    Since 'ana' ends in the vowel 'a', the -sı form is used (anası).

  3. Bakı şəhəri çox gözəldir.

    The city of Baku is very beautiful.

    Word by Word: Baku city-its very beautiful-is.

    This is a noun compound where 'şəhəri' takes the suffix to link it to 'Bakı'.

  4. Onun rəngi mavidir.

    Its color is blue.

    Word by Word: Its color-its blue-is.

    The suffix is gender-neutral and can refer to 'its' (an object).

  5. Uşağın oyuncağı sındı.

    The child's toy broke.

    Word by Word: Child-of toy-his broke.

    Note the consonant change: 'oyuncaq' becomes 'oyuncağı'.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the -s- buffer after vowels.

    Onun qapıı açıqdır.
    Onun qapısı açıqdır.

    When a noun ends in a vowel (like qapı), you must use the -sı/-si/-su/-sü form.

  • Using the wrong buffer before case endings.

    Atasıya zəng etdim.
    Atasına zəng etdim.

    After a 3rd person possessive suffix, you must use -n- as a buffer before case endings, not -y-.

How It Connects

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-(s)ı/-(s)i/-(s)u/-(s)ü (mənsubiyyət)Level 2Third-person Singular Possessive

Learn This First

To learn the third-person singular possessive suffix, learners must understand four-way vowel harmony to correctly apply the -(s)ı/-(s)i/-(s)u/-(s)ü variants. They also need to be familiar with the third-person singular pronoun 'o' and the general concept of how Azerbaijani uses suffixes rather than separate words to indicate possession, typically introduced through the first-person singular possessive.

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Patterns that build on this one.