tərəf/sarı
Toward with Tərəf or Sarı
tərəf / sarı / doğru = toward / in the direction of
Structure: [Noun/Pronoun] + -a/-ə (Dative) + tərəf / sarı / doğru
How It Works
The postpositions tərəf, sarı, and doğru are essential for describing direction. Unlike English prepositions, these come after the noun they modify.
1. Morphological Requirements:
All three words require the preceding noun or pronoun to be in the dative case.
- Məktəb (school) + -ə → Məktəbə tərəf (Toward the school)
- Mən (I) + -ə → Mənə sarı (Toward me)
- Ev (house) + -ə → Evə doğru (Toward the house)
2. Nuances between the terms:
- tərəf: The most universal and standard choice, derived from the word for 'side'.
- sarı: Common in daily speech, often used when someone turns or looks toward a specific point.
- doğru: Often implies a direct path or movement straight toward a target.
3. Phonological Note:
When attaching the dative suffix, pay attention to buffer consonants:
- Use the buffer -y- for nouns ending in a vowel (e.g., Bakıya doğru).
- Use the buffer -n- for pronouns like o (e.g., ona sarı) or for nouns already carrying a third person possessive suffix (e.g., evinə tərəf).
Examples (6)
- Pəncərəyə tərəf qaçdı.
He/she ran toward the window.
Word by Word: Window-to toward he/she-ran.
Here, 'pəncərə' (window) takes the dative suffix '-yə' before the postposition 'tərəf'.
- O, mənə sarı dönüb gülümsədi.
He/she turned toward me and smiled.
Word by Word: He/she, me-to toward turning smiled.
The pronoun 'mən' (I) becomes 'mənə' (to me) when used with 'sarı'.
- Qatar stansiyaya tərəf yavaş-yavaş hərəkət edirdi.
The train was moving slowly toward the station.
Word by Word: Train station-to toward slow-slow movement was-doing.
'Stansiya' ends in a vowel, so the buffer '-y-' is used for the dative case before 'tərəf'.
- Kəndə sarı gedirik.
We are going toward the village.
Word by Word: Village-to toward we-are-going.
'Sarı' is used here to indicate the general direction of travel.
- Ona doğru addımla.
Step toward him/her.
Word by Word: Him/her-to toward step.
'Doğru' is used with the dative form of the pronoun 'o' (him/her) to show direct movement.
- Ona tərəf baxma.
Don't look toward him/her.
Word by Word: Him/her-to toward look-not.
The third-person pronoun 'o' becomes 'ona' in the dative case.
Common Mistakes
Using the nominative case instead of the dative case.
Ev tərəf gedirəm.Evə tərəf gedirəm.Postpositions like 'tərəf' and 'sarı' must be preceded by the dative case (-a/-ə). Using the base form 'ev' is incorrect.
Confusing the directional 'tərəf' with the agent marker 'tərəfindən'.
Müəllimə tərəfindən getdim.Müəllimə tərəf getdim.'Tərəfindən' means 'by' (used in passive sentences), whereas 'tərəf' means 'toward'. Use 'tərəf' for direction.
Using the genitive case with pronouns.
Mənim tərəf gəl.Mənə tərəf gəl.For 'toward me', the pronoun takes the dative before tərəf: mənə tərəf. The genitive form of the pronoun is used in a different construction, with its own endings on tərəf (toward my side), so it cannot be used bare here.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'tərəf' and 'sarı' (meaning 'toward'), you must first understand how to form the dative case (-a/-ə), as these postpositions always follow a dative-marked destination. Familiarity with basic sentence structure is also helpful for placing these phrases correctly.
- -a/-ə (yönlük hal)Dative Direction Case
The postpositions 'tərəf' and 'sarı' require the preceding noun or pronoun to be in the dative case to indicate direction.
Level 1 - Vowel harmony in basic suffixes
Understanding vowel harmony is necessary to correctly apply the dative case suffix (-a/-ə) to the destination noun before 'tərəf' or 'sarı'.
Level 1 - Basic SOV word order
Knowledge of basic word order is needed to place the postpositional phrase correctly within a sentence, typically before the verb.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- -y-Dative Buffer Consonant
Used when the noun ends in a vowel before adding the dative suffix required by these postpositions.
Level 2 - qarşıAgainst or Toward with Qarşı
Another postposition often translated as 'toward', but primarily meaning 'against' or 'opposite'.
Level 2 - tərəfindən (məchul növ)Passive Agent with Tərəfindən
A related word derived from 'tərəf' used to indicate the agent in passive constructions.
Level 4 - mənFirst Person Singular Pronoun
The first-person pronoun which changes to 'mənə' when used with these directional markers.
Level 1 - o (şəxs əvəzliyi)Third Person Singular Pronoun
The third-person pronoun which changes to 'ona' when used with these directional markers.
Level 1
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Practice tərəf/sarı in Bubblegum
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