Dede Declension: Turkish Cases of 'grandfather'
dede means “grandfather”. Its last vowel is e, so 2-way suffixes use e (dedeler) and 4-way suffixes use i (dedenin). Because it ends in a vowel, vowel-initial suffixes need a buffer letter: dedeyi, dedenin, dedesi.
Quick facts
- Plural
- dedeler
- grandfathers
- Harmony
- Front unrounded
- suffix vowels e / i
- Ends in
- a vowel
- buffer letters y / n / s
- Object form
- dedeyi
- accusative, “the grandfather”
Rules this noun follows
- Buffer letter y — y separates two vowels (kapı-y-ı).dedeyi, dedeye, dedeyle
- Buffer letter n — n separates two vowels in the genitive (kapı-n-ın).dedenin
- Buffer letter s — s separates two vowels in the 3rd-person possessive (kapı-s-ı).dedesi
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).dedesini, dedesinde
Dede in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -ler before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | dedegrandfather | dedelergrandfathers |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | dedeyithe grandfather (object) | dedelerithe grandfathers (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | dedeyeto the grandfather | dedelereto the grandfathers |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | dededein / at the grandfather | dedelerdein / at the grandfathers |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | dededenfrom the grandfather | dedelerdenfrom the grandfathers |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | dedeninthe grandfather's / of the grandfather | dedelerinthe grandfathers's / of the grandfathers |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | dedeylewith the grandfather | dedelerlewith the grandfathers |
Possessive forms: “my grandfather”, “your grandfather”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (dedesinde). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | dedemmy grandfather | dedemimy grandfather (object) | dedemeto my grandfather | dedemdein / at my grandfather | dedemdenfrom my grandfather |
| seninyour | dedenyour grandfather | dedeniyour grandfather (object) | dedeneto your grandfather | dedendein / at your grandfather | dedendenfrom your grandfather |
| onunhis/her/its | dedesihis/her grandfather | dedesinihis/her grandfather (object) | dedesineto his/her grandfather | dedesindein / at his/her grandfather | dedesindenfrom his/her grandfather |
| bizimour | dedemizour grandfather | dedemiziour grandfather (object) | dedemizeto our grandfather | dedemizdein / at our grandfather | dedemizdenfrom our grandfather |
| sizinyour (pl.) | dedenizyour (pl.) grandfather | dedeniziyour (pl.) grandfather (object) | dedenizeto your (pl.) grandfather | dedenizdein / at your (pl.) grandfather | dedenizdenfrom your (pl.) grandfather |
| onlarıntheir | dedeleritheir grandfathers | dedelerinitheir grandfathers (object) | dedelerineto their grandfathers | dedelerindein / at their grandfathers | dedelerindenfrom their grandfathers |
Plural + possessive: dedelerim (my grandfathers) · dedelerin (your grandfathers) · dedeleri (his/her grandfathers) · dedelerimiz (our grandfathers) · dedeleriniz (your (pl.) grandfathers) · dedeleri (their grandfathers)
Dede in example sentences
Yazları köyde dedemde kalırdım.
In summer I used to stay at my grandfather's in the village.
Locative caseDedesiyle satranç oynamayı çok seviyor.
He loves playing chess with his grandfather.
Instrumental case
Watch out with dede
- Buffer letters after the final vowel. Vowel suffixes need a buffer: dedeyi (y), dedenin (n), dedesi (s). After dedesi a case suffix adds n: dedesinde, not
*dedeside. Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: family & people
- abla older sister
- adam man
- ağabey older brother
- aile family
- amca uncle
- anne mother
- arkadaş friend
- baba father
- bebek baby
- çocuk child
Other A1 nouns ending in a vowel
Questions about dede
What is the plural of dede?
The plural of dede ("grandfather") is dedeler. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of dede is e, a front vowel, so it takes -ler. The plural then takes case endings: dedeleri, dedelerde, dedelerden.
How do you say "to the grandfather" in Turkish?
"To the grandfather" is dedeye, the dative case (-ye). Similarly, "in / at the grandfather" is dedede (locative) and "from the grandfather" is dededen (ablative).
How do you say "my grandfather" in Turkish?
"My grandfather" is dedem (often with the pronoun: benim dedem). "Your grandfather" is deden, "his/her grandfather" is dedesi and "my grandfathers" is dedelerim.
Drill Turkish noun cases in the TurkLogic app
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