Lesson9-Turkish suffix (in-on-at/de-da-te-ta))
How to use ”in” ”on” ”at” in Turkish?
In / At / On – -de / -da (location)
-de / -da is used to indicate a location where something is happening or where something is situated.
Evdeyim. (I am at home.)
Okulda çalışıyorum. (I am working at school.)
Masada kitap var. (There is a book on the table.)
Note that -de / -da is also used for situations where something is at a specific point in time or place. The choice between -e / -a and -den / -dan depends on vowel harmony rules, similar to other Turkish suffixes.
Question : Why did we use the suffix -da in “okulda” and d-e in “evde”?
The suffixes -da and -de in Turkish are used to indicate location or position, meaning “in” or “at“. They tell us where something is happening or where something is located.
Answer to the question:
We use the suffix -da in “okulda” and -de in “evde” because of vowel harmony, which depends on the last vowel of the word:
-da is used when the last vowel of the word is an undotted vowel (like a, ı, o, u).
Okul (school) ends with u, which is an undotted vowel, so the suffix -da is added, resulting in okulda (in the school).
-de is used when the last vowel of the word is a dotted vowel (like e, i, ö, ü).
Ev (house) ends with e, which is a dotted vowel, so the suffix –de is added, resulting in evde (at home).
Thus, the suffix choice depends on the last vowel in the word, following vowel harmony rules.
Question : Why didn’t we use the suffix ”da” for the word ”kitap” but we used the suffix ”ta”?
The last vowel of the word is shown in red. This determines whether you use the suffix ”de” or ”da”. The last letter of the word is shown in blue. These letters determine whether you use ”te” or ”ta”.
| Word | Last Vowel | Suffix | Word with Suffix | Explanation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sınıf | ı | -da | Sınıfta | The last consonant is ‘f’ (from Fıstıkçı Şahap), so -da changes to -ta. | In the classroom |
| Kitap | a | -ta | Kitapta | The last consonant is ‘p’ (from Fıstıkçı Şahap), so -da changes to -ta. | In the book |
| Cenk | e | -te | Cenkte | The last consonant is ‘k’ (from Fıstıkçı Şahap), so -de changes to -te. | In the contest |
| Sıcak | a | -ta | Sıcakta | The last consonant is ‘k’ (from Fıstıkçı Şahap), so -da changes to -ta. | In the heat/hot (temperature) |
| Kümes | e | -te | Kümeste | The last consonant is ‘s’ (from Fıstıkçı Şahap), so -de changes to -te. | In the chicken coop |
| Yurt | u | -ta | Yurtta | The last consonant is ‘t’ (from Fıstıkçı Şahap), so -da changes to -ta. | In the dormitory |
If the final consonant is one of f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p, the suffix -de turns into -te, and -da turns into -ta.
This is an example of consonant harmony in Turkish grammar, which ensures smoother pronunciation by matching suffixes with the consonants of the word.
Now solve the quizzes below and improve your Turkish skills.