istinaden / binaen

Formal Postpositions of Reference

Level 6

İstinaden and binaen are high-register postpositions used in official, legal, and bureaucratic Turkish. They both require the dative case (-e/-a) and are used to cite a reference or a foundation for an action.

How It Works

In formal Turkish, especially within the legal system and government correspondence, these two postpositions are essential for establishing the authority or reason behind a statement.

1. Morphology and Case:
Both words are fixed adverbial forms and do not change based on vowel harmony. However, the noun they follow must take the dative case suffix.

  • Karara istinaden... (Pursuant to the decision...)
  • Söze binaen... (Based on the word...)

2. Nuances:

  • İstinaden: Strictly referential. It is used when you are acting because a previous document, law, or request exists. It 'points' to the source.
  • Binaen: Causal and foundational. Derived from the Arabic word for 'building' (binā’), it suggests the action is 'built upon' a specific fact or reason.

3. Register:
These are Level 6 patterns because they are rarely used in daily speech. Using them with friends sounds overly stiff or ironic. However, they are high-frequency in:

  • Court rulings and legal contracts.
  • Official government decrees (Resmi Gazete).
  • Corporate formal emails.

Examples (4)

  1. Talebinize istinaden gerekli incelemeler başlatılmıştır.

    Pursuant to your request, the necessary investigations have been initiated.

    Word by Word: To your request referring to necessary investigations have been started.

    Here, 'istinaden' links the action (investigation) to the formal reference point (the request).

  2. Alınan karara binaen toplantı ileri bir tarihe ertelenmiştir.

    Based on the decision taken, the meeting has been postponed to a later date.

    Word by Word: Taken to the decision based on meeting forward one to date has been postponed.

    'Binaen' is used here to show that the postponement is 'built upon' or caused by the specific decision.

  3. İlgi yazınıza istinaden ekteki belgeler sunulmuştur.

    Referring to your related letter, the attached documents have been submitted.

    Word by Word: Related to your letter referring to in the attachment documents have been presented.

    This is a standard formula in bureaucratic correspondence to reference a previous piece of mail.

  4. Kanunun ilgili maddesine istinaden işlem yapıldı.

    Action was taken pursuant to the relevant article of the law.

    Word by Word: Of the law to relevant article referring to process was made.

    In legal contexts, 'istinaden' is the standard way to cite a specific law or article.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the ablative case (-den/-dan) instead of the dative case.

    Talebinizden istinaden dosya kapandı.
    Talebinize istinaden dosya kapandı.

    Learners often try to translate 'based FROM' or 'due FROM' literally. In Turkish, these postpositions strictly require the dative (-e/-a) case.

  • Confusing 'binaen' with 'binaenaleyh'.

    Karara binaenaleyh toplantı bitti.
    Karara binaen toplantı bitti.

    'Binaenaleyh' is a standalone conjunction meaning 'therefore.' It cannot follow a noun in the dative case like 'binaen' does.

How It Connects

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

istinaden / binaenLevel 6Formal Postpositions of Reference

Learn This First

To use 'istinaden' and 'binaen' correctly, a learner must first learn the dative case (-(y)e), as these postpositions always follow a noun in that case. Additionally, because they are often used in formal or legal contexts to refer to specific requests or documents, knowledge of possessive structures and the formal register of Ottoman-derived vocabulary is necessary.

Words in This Pattern

istinadenbinaen