kendi

The Word Kendi

Level 4

Kendi is the Turkish equivalent of "self." It changes form based on who you are talking about (kendim, kendin, etc.) and can mean "myself," "by myself," or "my own."

How It Works

The word kendi is essential for expressing reflexivity and ownership in Turkish. Unlike English, where "self" is often a suffix, kendi is a standalone word that takes possessive suffixes.

1. The Reflexive Paradigm
When you perform an action on yourself, you use kendi plus the appropriate possessive and case endings. The 3rd person singular has two forms: kendi and kendisi. Note that kendini is ambiguous; it can be the 2nd person singular (kendin-i) or the 3rd person singular short form using a buffer n (kendi-n-i). The long form kendisini is also common.

  • Kendim (myself)
  • Kendin (yourself)
  • Kendi / Kendisi (himself/herself/itself)
  • Kendimiz (ourselves)
  • Kendiniz (yourselves)
  • Kendileri (themselves)

2. As an Intensifier and Subject
To emphasize that you did something without help, place the inflected form after the personal pronoun:

  • Ödevimi kendim yaptım. (I did my homework myself.)

It can also act as a subject pronoun in set phrases like Kendi bilir (It is up to him/He knows best).

3. Reduplication and Idioms
The form kendi kendine is a true reduplication meaning "to oneself" or "by oneself":

  • Kendi kendime konuşuyorum. (I am talking to myself.)

Separately, the idiom kendi başına means "alone" or "without help":

  • Bunu kendi başına yaptı. (He did this on his own.)

4. As an Adjective ("Own")
When used before a noun, kendi remains uninflected, but the noun must have a possessive suffix. For extra emphasis, you can add a possessive pronoun:

  • (Benim) kendi arabam (My own car)

5. Politeness and Respect
The form kendisi is a respectful way to refer to a third party. In very formal contexts, kendileri (the plural of respect) can be used to refer to a single person of high status.

Examples (6)

  1. Aynada kendimi gördüm.

    I saw myself in the mirror.

    Word by Word: Mirror-in myself-acc I-saw.

    Here, 'kendi' takes the 1st person possessive '-m' and the accusative case '-i' because it is the object of the verb.

  2. Bu pastayı kendim pişirdim.

    I baked this cake myself.

    Word by Word: This cake-acc myself I-baked.

    In this sentence, 'kendim' acts as an intensifier to show the speaker did the action personally.

  3. Ben kendim geldim.

    I came myself.

    Word by Word: I myself came.

    Using a personal pronoun like 'ben' together with 'kendim' provides maximum emphasis, reinforcing that the subject performed the action alone.

  4. Herkes kendi işine baksın.

    Everyone should mind their own business.

    Word by Word: Everyone own work-his-to let-look.

    When meaning 'own', 'kendi' is uninflected, but the noun 'iş' (work) takes the possessive suffix '-i'.

  5. Bebek kendi kendine gülüyor.

    The baby is laughing to himself.

    Word by Word: Baby self self-to is-laughing.

    The reduplicated form 'kendi kendine' is a common idiom meaning 'by oneself' or 'to oneself'.

  6. Kendisi şu an toplantıda.

    He/She is in a meeting right now.

    Word by Word: Himself/Herself this moment meeting-in.

    Using 'kendisi' instead of 'o' is a polite and professional way to refer to someone else.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding possessive suffixes to 'kendi' when it is used as an adjective.

    Kendim evim çok büyük.
    Kendi evim çok büyük.

    When 'kendi' means 'own', it does not take a suffix; only the noun it describes takes the possessive ending.

  • Using personal pronouns instead of reflexive pronouns for self-directed actions.

    Beni aynada gördüm.
    Kendimi aynada gördüm.

    When the subject and object are the same person, Turkish normally uses 'kendi' (kendimi). 'Beni' alone is possible, but it sounds less natural for this meaning.

  • Incorrect placement of case suffixes.

    Kendiye iyi bak.
    Kendine iyi bak.

    Case suffixes must follow the possessive suffix. You cannot attach a case ending directly to the root 'kendi' in modern Turkish.

How It Connects

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

kendiLevel 4The Word Kendi

Learn This First

To use 'kendi' (self), you must understand how Turkish possessive suffixes work, as 'kendi' acts as a base that requires these endings to specify the person (e.g., kendim, kendin). Additionally, since 'kendi' often functions as an object or direction in a sentence, knowing how to layer case endings after possessive suffixes is necessary.

Words in This Pattern

kendikendi