Lesson9-Section3
Lesson: The Suffixes -e, -a, -ye, and -ya in Turkish
In Turkish, the suffixes -e, -a, -ye, and -ya are used to indicate direction, meaning “to” or “toward”. These suffixes are used to show the destination or direction of movement.
-e and -a are used based on vowel harmony, with -e for words that end with a dotted vowel (e, i, ö, ü) and -a for words that end with an undotted vowel (a, ı, o, u).
-ye and -ya are variations of the letters -e and -a and are used when the root word ends in a vowel.
| Turkish Word | Suffix | Word with Suffix | Explanation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okul | -a | Okula | Last vowel is ‘u’ (undotted) and last letter is consonant so -a is used. | To the school |
| Ev | -e | Eve | Last vowel is ‘e’ (dotted) and last letter is consonant so -e is used. | To the house |
| Banka | -ya | Bankaya | Last vowel is ‘a’ (undotted) and last letter is vowel so -ya is used. | To the bank |
| Sınıf | -a | Sınıfa | Last vowel is ‘ı’ (undotted)and last letter is consonant so -a is used. | To the classroom |
| Köy | -e | Köye | Last vowel is ‘ö’ (dotted) and last letter is vowel so -ye is used. | To the village |
| Şehir | -e | Şehire | Last vowel is ‘e’ (dotted) and last letter is consonant so e is used. | To the city |
| Kadın | -a | Kadına | Last vowel is ‘ı’ (undotted) and last letter is consonant so -a is used. | To the woman |
| Emre | -ye | Emreye | Last vowel is ‘e’ (dotted) and last letter is vowel so -ye is used. | To Emre |
| Amerika | -ya | Amerikaya | Last vowel is ‘a’ (undotted) and last letter is vowel so -ya is used. | To America |
| İstanbul | -a | İstanbula | Last vowel is ‘u’ (undotted) and last letter is consonant so -a is used. | To Istanbul |
Summary:
- -e is used when the last vowel is dotted (e, i, ö, ü).
- -a is used when the last vowel is undotted (a, ı, o, u).
-ye and -ya are softened forms of -e and -a and are used when the word ends in a vowel.