-siniz

You Are (Plural or Polite)

Level 1

Use -siniz (and its variants) to say 'you are' for the pronoun siz. It is used for both plural 'you' and formal singular 'you'.

How It Works

In Turkish, the way you say 'you are' depends on who you are talking to. The suffix -siniz is the 'Type I' personal ending for the second-person plural.

1. Plural vs. Formal Singular
Unlike English, Turkish uses -siniz in two distinct scenarios:

  • Plural: When talking to two or more people (e.g., 'You all are students').
  • Formal: When talking to one person you don't know well, an elder, or a professional contact (e.g., 'You are very kind, Mr. Ahmet').

2. Vowel Harmony Rules
The vowel in the suffix must match the last vowel of the word:

  • -siniz after e, i (e.g., iyisiniz)
  • -sınız after a, ı (e.g., hazırsınız)
  • -sunuz after o, u (e.g., mutlusunuz)
  • -sünüz after ö, ü (e.g., özgürsünüz)

3. Dropping the Pronoun
Turkish is a 'pro-drop' language. Because the suffix -siniz already tells us the subject is 'you' (plural/polite), the pronoun siz is often omitted. For example, Öğrencisiniz means 'You are students' even without the word siz.

4. Word Stress
In Turkish, personal suffixes like -siniz are generally unstressed. This means the word stress stays on the last syllable of the word stem, just before the suffix. For example, in ha-ZIR-sınız, the stress is on the second syllable, not the suffix.

5. No Buffer Needed
Unlike the first-person endings (-(y)im), -siniz starts with a consonant ('s'). Therefore, you attach it directly to words ending in vowels without needing a buffer letter (e.g., öğrenci-siniz).

Examples (5)

  1. Nasılsınız?

    How are you? (Formal/Plural)

    Word by Word: How-are-you?

    This is the standard polite way to ask 'How are you?' in Turkish.

  2. Siz çok naziksiniz.

    You are very kind.

    Word by Word: You very kind-are.

    The suffix -siniz attaches to the adjective 'nazik' (kind) to form a complete sentence.

  3. Hazır mısınız?

    Are you ready?

    Word by Word: Ready [question]-are-you?

    When asking a question, the person ending attaches to the question particle instead of the adjective.

  4. Siz öğrencisiniz.

    You are students (or 'You are a student' formally).

    Word by Word: You student-are.

    Notice that even though 'öğrenci' ends in a vowel, we simply add -siniz without a buffer letter.

  5. Bugün çok mutlusunuz.

    You are very happy today.

    Word by Word: Today very happy-are-you.

    Here, -sunuz is used because the last vowel in 'mutlu' is 'u'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using a buffer letter -y- before the suffix.

    Öğrenciyisiniz.
    Öğrencisiniz.

    Learners often confuse this with the 1st person '-(y)im'. Because -siniz starts with 's', no buffer 'y' is needed after a vowel.

  • Ignoring vowel harmony.

    Hazırsiniz.
    Hazırsınız.

    The suffix must follow the 4-way vowel harmony. Since 'hazır' ends in 'ı', the suffix must be '-sınız'.

  • Using the informal -sin with a stranger or superior.

    Nasılsın, efendim?
    Nasılsınız, efendim?

    Using the singular '-sin' with someone you should address formally (like a boss or elder) is considered impolite in Turkish culture.

How It Connects

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

-sinizLevel 1You Are (Plural or Polite)

Learn This First

To learn the '-siniz' ending, you need to understand how four-way vowel harmony affects suffixes and be familiar with the plural personal pronoun 'siz'. It is also helpful to understand the singular 'you are' form (-sin) first.

Words in This Pattern

-siniz