Beyin Declension: Turkish Cases of 'brain'
beyin means “brain”. Its last vowel is i, so 2-way suffixes use e (beyinler) and 4-way suffixes use i (beynin). Its last vowel drops before a vowel suffix (beyni, beyne) but stays before a consonant (beyinde).
Quick facts
- Plural
- beyinler
- brains
- Harmony
- Front unrounded
- suffix vowels e / i
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- beyni
- accusative, “the brain”
Rules this noun follows
- Vowel drop — The last vowel of the root drops before a vowel-initial suffix.beyni, beyne, beynim
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).beynim, beynin
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).beynini, beyninde
Beyin in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -ler before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | beyinbrain | beyinlerbrains |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | beynithe brain (object) | beyinlerithe brains (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | beyneto the brain | beyinlereto the brains |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | beyindein / at the brain | beyinlerdein / at the brains |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | beyindenfrom the brain | beyinlerdenfrom the brains |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | beyninthe brain's / of the brain | beyinlerinthe brains's / of the brains |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | beyinlewith the brain | beyinlerlewith the brains |
Possessive forms: “my brain”, “your brain”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (beyninde). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | beynimmy brain | beynimimy brain (object) | beynimeto my brain | beynimdein / at my brain | beynimdenfrom my brain |
| seninyour | beyninyour brain | beyniniyour brain (object) | beynineto your brain | beynindein / at your brain | beynindenfrom your brain |
| onunhis/her/its | beynihis/her brain | beyninihis/her brain (object) | beynineto his/her brain | beynindein / at his/her brain | beynindenfrom his/her brain |
| bizimour | beynimizour brain | beynimiziour brain (object) | beynimizeto our brain | beynimizdein / at our brain | beynimizdenfrom our brain |
| sizinyour (pl.) | beyninizyour (pl.) brain | beyniniziyour (pl.) brain (object) | beyninizeto your (pl.) brain | beyninizdein / at your (pl.) brain | beyninizdenfrom your (pl.) brain |
| onlarıntheir | beyinleritheir brains | beyinlerinitheir brains (object) | beyinlerineto their brains | beyinlerindein / at their brains | beyinlerindenfrom their brains |
Plural + possessive: beyinlerim (my brains) · beyinlerin (your brains) · beyinleri (his/her brains) · beyinlerimiz (our brains) · beyinleriniz (your (pl.) brains) · beyinleri (their brains)
Beyin in example sentences
Watch out with beyin
- The last vowel drops. Before a vowel suffix the second vowel disappears: beyni, beyne, beynim (not
*beyini,*beyine). Consonant suffixes keep it: beyinde, beyinler. Rule → - Two meanings of beynin. beynin is both "of the brain" (genitive) and "your brain" (possessive). beyni is likewise both the object form and "his/her brain". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: body
- alın forehead
- göğüs chest
- boyun neck
- kalp heart
- kan blood
- karın belly
- omuz shoulder
- sırt back
- ağız mouth
- ayak foot
Other nouns that drop a vowel
Questions about beyin
What is the plural of beyin?
The plural of beyin ("brain") is beyinler. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of beyin is i, a front vowel, so it takes -ler. The plural then takes case endings: beyinleri, beyinlerde, beyinlerden.
How do you say "to the brain" in Turkish?
"To the brain" is beyne, the dative case (-e). Similarly, "in / at the brain" is beyinde (locative) and "from the brain" is beyinden (ablative).
Why is it beyni and not beyini?
Beyin belongs to a group of two-syllable nouns (mostly Arabic loans and body parts) whose second vowel drops when a vowel-initial suffix follows: beyni, beyne, beynim. With consonant-initial suffixes the vowel stays: beyinde, beyinler.
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