Ağaç Declension: Turkish Cases of 'tree'
ağaç means “tree”. Its last vowel is a, so 2-way suffixes use a (ağaçlar) and 4-way suffixes use ı (ağacın). Its final ç softens to c before a vowel (ağacı, ağaca) but stays hard before a consonant (ağaçta).
Quick facts
- Plural
- ağaçlar
- trees
- Harmony
- Back unrounded
- suffix vowels a / ı
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- ağacı
- accusative, “the tree”
Rules this noun follows
- Consonant softening — A final p, ç, t, k softens to b, c, d, ğ before a vowel.ağacı, ağaca, ağacım
- Consonant hardening — After f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p a suffix-initial d becomes t (and c becomes ç).ağaçta, ağaçtan
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).ağacım, ağacın
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).ağacını, ağacında
Ağaç in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -lar before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | ağaçtree | ağaçlartrees |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | ağacıthe tree (object) | ağaçlarıthe trees (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | ağacato the tree | ağaçlarato the trees |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | ağaçtain / at the tree | ağaçlardain / at the trees |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | ağaçtanfrom the tree | ağaçlardanfrom the trees |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | ağacınthe tree's / of the tree | ağaçlarınthe trees's / of the trees |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | ağaçlawith the tree | ağaçlarlawith the trees |
Possessive forms: “my tree”, “your tree”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (ağacında). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | ağacımmy tree | ağacımımy tree (object) | ağacımato my tree | ağacımdain / at my tree | ağacımdanfrom my tree |
| seninyour | ağacınyour tree | ağacınıyour tree (object) | ağacınato your tree | ağacındain / at your tree | ağacındanfrom your tree |
| onunhis/her/its | ağacıhis/her tree | ağacınıhis/her tree (object) | ağacınato his/her tree | ağacındain / at his/her tree | ağacındanfrom his/her tree |
| bizimour | ağacımızour tree | ağacımızıour tree (object) | ağacımızato our tree | ağacımızdain / at our tree | ağacımızdanfrom our tree |
| sizinyour (pl.) | ağacınızyour (pl.) tree | ağacınızıyour (pl.) tree (object) | ağacınızato your (pl.) tree | ağacınızdain / at your (pl.) tree | ağacınızdanfrom your (pl.) tree |
| onlarıntheir | ağaçlarıtheir trees | ağaçlarınıtheir trees (object) | ağaçlarınato their trees | ağaçlarındain / at their trees | ağaçlarındanfrom their trees |
Plural + possessive: ağaçlarım (my trees) · ağaçların (your trees) · ağaçları (his/her trees) · ağaçlarımız (our trees) · ağaçlarınız (your (pl.) trees) · ağaçları (their trees)
Ağaç in example sentences
Watch out with ağaç
- Softening before vowels. Final ç softens before a vowel: ağacı, ağaca, ağacım (not
*ağaçı). Before a consonant it stays hard: ağaçta, ağaçlar. Rule → - Locative with t, not d. After a voiceless consonant the locative and ablative start with t: ağaçta, ağaçtan (not
*ağaçda). Rule → - Two meanings of ağacın. ağacın is both "of the tree" (genitive) and "your tree" (possessive). ağacı is likewise both the object form and "his/her tree". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: nature & weather
- çiçek flower
- dağ mountain
- deniz sea
- dünya world
- güneş sun
- hava weather
- kar snow
- plaj beach
- yağmur rain
- ada island
Other nouns that soften
Questions about ağaç
What is the plural of ağaç?
The plural of ağaç ("tree") is ağaçlar. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of ağaç is a, a back vowel, so it takes -lar. The plural then takes case endings: ağaçları, ağaçlarda, ağaçlardan.
How do you say "to the tree" in Turkish?
"To the tree" is ağaca, the dative case (-a). Similarly, "in / at the tree" is ağaçta (locative) and "from the tree" is ağaçtan (ablative).
Why does ağaç become ağacı?
Final p, ç, t and k soften to b, c, d and ğ (g after n) when a vowel follows. Ağaç follows this rule, so the accusative is ağacı and "my tree" is ağacım. Before a consonant the hard letter stays: ağaçta, ağaçlar.
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