-(s)ı/-(s)i/-(s)u/-(s)ü

Third Person Singular Possessive Suffix

Level 1

The third-person singular possessive suffix -(s)ı/-(s)i/-(s)u/-(s)ü indicates that something belongs to 'him', 'her', or 'it'. It is also essential for forming noun-noun compounds like 'city of Baku' or 'fruit juice'.

How It Works

The third-person singular possessive suffix is a cornerstone of Azerbaijani grammar. It serves two primary roles:

1. Possession: It marks the object being possessed. While you can use the pronoun onun, the suffix alone is usually enough.

  • Consonant stems: -ı, -i, -u, -ü (e.g., kitab → kitabı)
  • Vowel stems: -sı, -si, -su, -sü (e.g., ata → atası)

2. Noun Compounds (Izafet II): In Azerbaijani, when two nouns are joined where the first describes the second (like 'bus station' or 'school bag'), the second noun must take this suffix. For example: avtobus dayanacağı (bus stop).

Important Rules:

  • The 'n' Buffer: If you add a case suffix (like locative or dative) after this possessive suffix, you must insert an 'n'. Example: evində (in his house).
  • Loanword Exceptions: A few words ending in vowels (like mövqe, tale, mənbə) use a 'y' buffer instead of 's'. Example: mövqeyi (his position).

Examples (5)

  1. Onun maşını qırmızıdır.

    His/her car is red.

    Word by Word: His car-his red-is.

    Here, 'maşın' (car) ends in a consonant, so '-ı' is added to show it belongs to 'him/her'.

  2. Bu, Əlinin kitabıdır.

    This is Ali's book.

    Word by Word: This, Ali-genitive book-his-is.

    The possessive suffix '-ı' on 'kitab' corresponds to the genitive case on 'Əli'.

  3. Mən Bakı şəhərində yaşayıram.

    I live in the city of Baku.

    Word by Word: I Baku city-its-in live-I.

    This shows a noun compound (Bakı şəhəri) followed by the 'n' buffer and the locative case suffix.

  4. Onun atası müəllimdir.

    His/her father is a teacher.

    Word by Word: His father-his teacher-is.

    Since 'ata' ends in a vowel, the suffix '-sı' is used.

  5. Portağal şirəsi çox dadlıdır.

    Orange juice is very tasty.

    Word by Word: Orange juice-its very tasty-is.

    This is a noun compound where 'şirə' (juice) takes the suffix '-si' to link it to 'portağal' (orange).

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting the 'n' buffer before case endings.

    Onun kitabıda var.
    Onun kitabında var.

    When adding a case suffix like '-da' (in/at) after the 3rd person possessive, you must use the buffer 'n'.

  • Confusing the possessive suffix with the accusative case for vowel-ending words.

    Onun atanı gördüm.
    Onun atasını gördüm.

    For vowel stems, the possessive is '-sı', while the accusative is '-nı'. To say 'I saw his father', you need the possessive '-sı' followed by the buffer 'n' and then the accusative '-ı'.

How It Connects

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-(s)ı/-(s)i/-(s)u/-(s)üLevel 1Third Person Singular Possessive Suffix

Learn This First

To understand the third person singular possessive suffix, learners should be familiar with the concept of possession in Azerbaijani. While it follows the same vowel harmony rules as other possessive suffixes, it is unique because it uses the buffer consonant 's' instead of 'n' when attached to words ending in vowels. Understanding the genitive case is helpful because the third person possessive suffix is almost always used in conjunction with a genitive possessor.

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