-in içinde / dışında / arasında

More Position Words

Level 3

Turkish uses 'spatial nouns' rather than simple prepositions. To say 'inside the box', you literally say 'the box's inside-at' (kutunun içinde).

How It Works

In Turkish, words like iç (inside), dış (outside), and ara (space between) are nouns. To use them, you must link them to a reference object using possessive suffixes.

1. The Structure:
The reference noun takes the genitive case. If the noun ends in a vowel, use the buffer 'n' (e.g., araba-n-ın). The spatial noun then takes a possessive suffix. While the 3rd person possessive suffix is used for nouns, you must use the matching person ending if the reference is a possessive pronoun (e.g., benim iç-im-de).

2. Adding Case:
Because you are usually describing a location, you add the locative case after the 3rd person possessive suffix using a buffer 'n'.

3. The Meanings:

  • -in içinde: Inside. Emphasizes being within a volume.
  • -in dışında: Outside. Can also mean 'besides' or 'except for'.
  • -in arasında: Between or Among. Turkish uses the same word for both 'between two' and 'among many'.

4. Case Changes:
You can use other cases depending on the verb: içine (into), dışından (from outside), arasına (to between).

Examples (6)

  1. Kedi kutunun içinde uyuyor.

    The cat is sleeping inside the box.

    Word by Word: Cat box-genitive inside-its-locative sleeping.

    Here, 'kutunun içinde' shows the cat is contained within the box's volume. Note the buffer 'n' in the genitive suffix because 'kutu' ends in a vowel.

  2. Evin dışında bekliyorum.

    I am waiting outside the house.

    Word by Word: House-genitive outside-its-locative I-am-waiting.

    The genitive suffix -(n)in on 'ev' makes it 'the house', referring to a specific building.

  3. İki ağacın arasında bir hamak var.

    There is a hammock between two trees.

    Word by Word: Two tree-genitive between-its-locative one hammock there-is.

    'Arasında' is used here to show the position relative to the two trees. The genitive suffix is added to 'ağaç' to specify the relationship.

  4. Öğrencilerin arasında oturuyorum.

    I am sitting among the students.

    Word by Word: Students-genitive among-their-locative I-am-sitting.

    Turkish uses 'arasında' for 'among' when referring to a group of people or things.

  5. Bunun dışında başka bir sorun yok.

    Besides this, there is no other problem.

    Word by Word: This-genitive outside-its-locative other one problem there-is-not.

    This shows the metaphorical use of 'dışında' to mean 'besides' or 'other than'.

  6. Senin içinde büyük bir umut var.

    There is a great hope inside you.

    Word by Word: You-genitive inside-your-locative big one hope there-is.

    When using personal pronouns, the possessive suffix on the position word must match the person (e.g., -im for 'benim', -in for 'senin').

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the genitive suffix on the reference noun.

    Kutu içinde anahtar var.
    Kutunun içinde anahtar var.

    To say 'Inside THE box' (one particular box), use the genitive suffix (-nun). Without it, 'kutu içinde' is possible but sounds like a general 'in a box' idea, so it is less natural here.

  • Using the wrong buffer consonant before case suffixes.

    İçindeye bak.
    İçine bak.

    When adding a case suffix to a 3rd person possessive ending, you must use 'n', not 'y'. Also, the locative -de is not used when moving 'into' something; use the dative -e.

How It Connects

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

-in içinde / dışında / arasındaLevel 3More Position Words

Learn This First

To understand these position words, you need to know how to form a definite noun phrase (genitive-possessive construction). The first noun takes the genitive suffix (-in), and the position word (iç, dış, ara) takes the 3rd person possessive suffix -(s)i followed by the locative case marker -de/-da (with a buffer -n-).

Words in This Pattern

-iniçindedışındaarasında