Borç Declension: Turkish Cases of 'debt'
borç means “debt”. Its last vowel is o, so 2-way suffixes use a (borçlar) and 4-way suffixes use u (borcun). Its final ç softens to c before a vowel (borcu, borca) but stays hard before a consonant (borçta).
Quick facts
- Plural
- borçlar
- debts
- Harmony
- Back rounded
- suffix vowels a / u
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- borcu
- accusative, “the debt”
Rules this noun follows
- Consonant softening — A final p, ç, t, k softens to b, c, d, ğ before a vowel.borcu, borca, borcum
- Consonant hardening — After f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p a suffix-initial d becomes t (and c becomes ç).borçta, borçtan
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).borcum, borcun
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).borcunu, borcunda
Borç in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -lar before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | borçdebt | borçlardebts |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | borcuthe debt (object) | borçlarıthe debts (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | borcato the debt | borçlarato the debts |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | borçtain / at the debt | borçlardain / at the debts |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | borçtanfrom the debt | borçlardanfrom the debts |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | borcunthe debt's / of the debt | borçlarınthe debts's / of the debts |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | borçlawith the debt | borçlarlawith the debts |
Possessive forms: “my debt”, “your debt”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (borcunda). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | borcummy debt | borcumumy debt (object) | borcumato my debt | borcumdain / at my debt | borcumdanfrom my debt |
| seninyour | borcunyour debt | borcunuyour debt (object) | borcunato your debt | borcundain / at your debt | borcundanfrom your debt |
| onunhis/her/its | borcuhis/her debt | borcunuhis/her debt (object) | borcunato his/her debt | borcundain / at his/her debt | borcundanfrom his/her debt |
| bizimour | borcumuzour debt | borcumuzuour debt (object) | borcumuzato our debt | borcumuzdain / at our debt | borcumuzdanfrom our debt |
| sizinyour (pl.) | borcunuzyour (pl.) debt | borcunuzuyour (pl.) debt (object) | borcunuzato your (pl.) debt | borcunuzdain / at your (pl.) debt | borcunuzdanfrom your (pl.) debt |
| onlarıntheir | borçlarıtheir debts | borçlarınıtheir debts (object) | borçlarınato their debts | borçlarındain / at their debts | borçlarındanfrom their debts |
Plural + possessive: borçlarım (my debts) · borçların (your debts) · borçları (his/her debts) · borçlarımız (our debts) · borçlarınız (your (pl.) debts) · borçları (their debts)
Borç in example sentences
Watch out with borç
- A one-syllable word that softens. Final ç softens before a vowel: borcu, borca, borcum (not
*borçu). Before a consonant it stays hard: borçta, borçlar. Most one-syllable words never soften (top → topu), so this one is worth memorising. Rule → - Locative with t, not d. After a voiceless consonant the locative and ablative start with t: borçta, borçtan (not
*borçda). Rule → - Two meanings of borcun. borcun is both "of the debt" (genitive) and "your debt" (possessive). borcu is likewise both the object form and "his/her debt". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: work & money
- görev duty
- karar decision
- kayıt record
- kontrol check
- maaş salary
- haber news
- meslek profession
- plan plan
- sorun problem
- şirket company
Other nouns that soften
Questions about borç
What is the plural of borç?
The plural of borç ("debt") is borçlar. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of borç is o, a back vowel, so it takes -lar. The plural then takes case endings: borçları, borçlarda, borçlardan.
How do you say "to the debt" in Turkish?
"To the debt" is borca, the dative case (-a). Similarly, "in / at the debt" is borçta (locative) and "from the debt" is borçtan (ablative).
Why does borç become borcu?
Final p, ç, t and k soften to b, c, d and ğ (g after n) when a vowel follows. Borç follows this rule, so the accusative is borcu and "my debt" is borcum. Before a consonant the hard letter stays: borçta, borçlar.
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