-ler (3. çoğul kişi eki)

They Are

Level 2

In Turkish, to say 'they are [something]', you add the suffix -lar or -ler to a noun or adjective. It follows two-way vowel harmony.

How It Works

The 3rd person plural person ending is used to identify a group's state or identity.

1. Vowel Harmony and Loanword Exceptions:

  • Standard: Use -lar for back vowels (a, ı, o, u) and -ler for front vowels (e, i, ö, ü).
  • Loanword Exception: Certain borrowed words (mostly from Arabic) like saat, hayal, kalp, and meşgul take -ler despite having back vowels (e.g., saatler, meşguller).

2. Human vs. Non-Human Subjects:

  • Human subjects: The suffix is optional if the subject is explicitly mentioned (e.g., Onlar mutlular). However, if you use subject dropping, the suffix is obligatory to distinguish 'they' from 'he/she/it'.
  • Non-human subjects: For animals or objects, the suffix is typically omitted (e.g., Kitaplar masada).
  • Collective Nouns: Words like takım (team) or aile (family) usually take a singular verb.

3. Honorific Usage:
The suffix can be used with a singular subject to show high respect or formality (e.g., Vali Bey geldiler - The Governor has arrived).

4. The Number Rule:
If a noun follows a number, the noun and predicate stay singular (e.g., Üç kişi var).

5. Questions:
Unlike other endings, this suffix stays attached to the word and comes before the question particle (e.g., Hazırlar mı?).

Examples (6)

  1. Onlar bugün çok meşguller.

    They are very busy today.

    Word by Word: They today very busy-are.

    Here, -ler is added to 'meşgul' (busy) to match the plural subject 'onlar'. Note that 'meşgul' is a loanword exception.

  2. Çocuklar şimdi bahçedeler.

    The children are in the garden now.

    Word by Word: Children now garden-in-are.

    The suffix -ler is attached to the locative form 'bahçede' (in the garden) to show where 'they' are.

  3. Öğrenciler kütüphanedeler mi?

    Are the students in the library?

    Word by Word: Students library-in-are [question]?

    In questions, the person ending -lar/-ler stays attached to the noun/adjective, and the question particle 'mi' follows it.

  4. Müdür Bey henüz gelmediler.

    The Manager (Mr. Director) has not arrived yet.

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

    The plural suffix is used here with a singular subject to show respect (honorific usage).

  5. Saatler çok hızlı geçiyor.

    The hours are passing very quickly.

    Word by Word: Hours very fast pass-ing.

    'Saat' (hour/clock) is a loanword exception; even though it has a back vowel 'a', it takes the front-vowel suffix '-ler'.

  6. Takım sahaya çıktı.

    The team went out onto the field.

    Word by Word: Team field-to exit-past.

    Collective nouns like 'takım' (team) take a singular verb, even though they represent multiple people.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the suffix when the subject 'onlar' is dropped.

    Çok yorgun.
    Yorgunlar.

    If you drop the subject pronoun 'onlar', it is obligatory to use the -lar/-ler suffix. Without it, the sentence means 'He/She/It is tired' instead of 'They are tired'.

  • Using the plural ending for inanimate objects.

    Masalar buradalar.
    Masalar burada.

    In Turkish, if the subject is a non-human plural noun (like tables), the verb or predicate usually stays in the singular form.

  • Using the plural suffix with collective nouns.

    Halk sokaktalar.
    Halk sokakta.

    Collective nouns like 'halk' (the public/people) or 'ordu' (army) are grammatically singular and do not take the plural person ending.

How It Connects

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

-ler (3. çoğul kişi eki)Level 2They Are

Learn This First

To learn the 3rd person plural ending '-ler', you first need to understand how the basic plural suffix works on nouns, as they share the same form and vowel harmony rules. Additionally, since this ending is used to say 'they are [something]', you should be familiar with the basic structure of Turkish nominal sentences (sentences without a verb).