onlar geldi / geldiler

Plural Agreement Is Optional

Level 2

In Turkish, if you already know the subject is plural (like 'they' or 'the students'), you don't always have to add the plural ending to the verb. Onlar geldi and Onlar geldiler are both correct.

How It Works

Turkish grammar allows for flexibility in plural agreement to avoid redundancy or to add specific emphasis.

1. Human Subjects:
When the subject is human (e.g., çocuklar, onlar), you can use either the singular or plural form of the verb.

  • Plural Verb: Very common and often preferred in formal, academic, or legal writing to ensure clarity. It is also used to emphasize individuals within a group.
  • Singular Verb: Common in daily speech and informal writing when the plurality is already clear from the subject.

2. Non-Human Subjects:
If the subject is an inanimate object or a plant, the verb remains singular. However, animate non-humans (animals) can take a plural verb when they are treated as individual agents, such as in fables, cartoons, or descriptive speech.

3. Quantified Subjects:
When a subject is preceded by a number, the verb almost always remains singular because the noun itself stays singular.

4. Dropped Pronouns:
If you use subject dropping and omit 'onlar', you must include the plural suffix on the verb to clarify that the subject is 'they'.

5. Respect:
The plural of respect allows a singular human subject to take a plural verb to show honor or social distance (e.g., Müdür Bey geldiler).

Examples (6)

  1. Onlar sinemaya gitti.

    They went to the cinema.

    Word by Word: They cinema-to went.

    In daily speech, the plural suffix is often omitted from the verb when the subject is already plural, avoiding redundancy.

  2. Öğrenciler bahçede oynuyorlar.

    The students are playing in the garden.

    Word by Word: Students garden-in play-ing-are.

    Using the plural suffix is very common in formal writing and academic contexts. It can also emphasize the students as individual agents.

  3. Kuşlar uçuyorlar.

    The birds are flying.

    Word by Word: Birds fly-ing-plural.

    While non-human subjects usually take singular verbs, animate beings like birds can take a plural verb when they are viewed as individual agents or in storytelling.

  4. Dün akşam geldiler.

    They came yesterday evening.

    Word by Word: Yesterday evening come-past-they.

    Since the pronoun onlar is dropped, the plural suffix on the verb is required to show who the subject is.

  5. Müdür Bey henüz gelmediler.

    The Manager has not arrived yet.

    Word by Word: Manager Mr. yet come-not-past-plural.

    This is the Plural of Respect. A plural verb is used with a singular human subject to show politeness or social distance.

  6. Üç çocuk parkta koşuyor.

    Three children are running in the park.

    Word by Word: Three child park-in run-ing.

    When a number is used, the noun and the verb both stay singular.

Common Mistakes

  • Pluralizing the verb for inanimate objects.

    Bardaklar kırıldılar.
    Bardaklar kırıldı.

    In Turkish, objects (like glasses) do not take plural verbs. The verb must remain singular.

  • Dropping both the pronoun and the verb suffix.

    Dün geldi. (meaning 'They came')
    Dün geldiler.

    If you don't say 'onlar', you must use the plural suffix on the verb, otherwise it sounds like 'He/she came'.

  • Using a plural verb with a number.

    İki kişi geldiler.
    İki kişi geldi.

    When a number precedes a noun, the noun stays singular, and the verb normally stays singular too.

How It Connects

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

onlar geldi / geldilerLevel 2Plural Agreement Is Optional

Learn This First

To understand why plural agreement is optional with 'onlar', you first need to know the plural personal pronouns, how the plural suffix '-ler/-lar' functions, and how verbs are typically conjugated in the past tense with person endings.

Words in This Pattern

onlar-ler