Defter Declension: Turkish Cases of 'notebook'
defter means “notebook”. Its last vowel is e, so 2-way suffixes use e (defterler) and 4-way suffixes use i (defterin). It is a regular noun: suffixes attach directly to defter, as in defteri and defterde.
Quick facts
- Plural
- defterler
- notebooks
- Harmony
- Front unrounded
- suffix vowels e / i
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- defteri
- accusative, “the notebook”
Rules this noun follows
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).defterim, defterin
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).defterini, defterinde
Defter in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -ler before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | defternotebook | defterlernotebooks |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | defterithe notebook (object) | defterlerithe notebooks (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | deftereto the notebook | defterlereto the notebooks |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | defterdein / at the notebook | defterlerdein / at the notebooks |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | defterdenfrom the notebook | defterlerdenfrom the notebooks |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | defterinthe notebook's / of the notebook | defterlerinthe notebooks's / of the notebooks |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | defterlewith the notebook | defterlerlewith the notebooks |
Possessive forms: “my notebook”, “your notebook”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (defterinde). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | defterimmy notebook | defterimimy notebook (object) | defterimeto my notebook | defterimdein / at my notebook | defterimdenfrom my notebook |
| seninyour | defterinyour notebook | defteriniyour notebook (object) | defterineto your notebook | defterindein / at your notebook | defterindenfrom your notebook |
| onunhis/her/its | defterihis/her notebook | defterinihis/her notebook (object) | defterineto his/her notebook | defterindein / at his/her notebook | defterindenfrom his/her notebook |
| bizimour | defterimizour notebook | defterimiziour notebook (object) | defterimizeto our notebook | defterimizdein / at our notebook | defterimizdenfrom our notebook |
| sizinyour (pl.) | defterinizyour (pl.) notebook | defteriniziyour (pl.) notebook (object) | defterinizeto your (pl.) notebook | defterinizdein / at your (pl.) notebook | defterinizdenfrom your (pl.) notebook |
| onlarıntheir | defterleritheir notebooks | defterlerinitheir notebooks (object) | defterlerineto their notebooks | defterlerindein / at their notebooks | defterlerindenfrom their notebooks |
Plural + possessive: defterlerim (my notebooks) · defterlerin (your notebooks) · defterleri (his/her notebooks) · defterlerimiz (our notebooks) · defterleriniz (your (pl.) notebooks) · defterleri (their notebooks)
Defter in example sentences
Watch out with defter
- Two meanings of defterin. defterin is both "of the notebook" (genitive) and "your notebook" (possessive). defteri is likewise both the object form and "his/her notebook". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: everyday objects
- bilgisayar computer
- çanta bag
- fotoğraf photo
- gazete newspaper
- hediye gift
- kâğıt paper
- kalem pen
- kitap book
- para money
- resim picture
Other front-vowel A1 nouns
Questions about defter
What is the plural of defter?
The plural of defter ("notebook") is defterler. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of defter is e, a front vowel, so it takes -ler. The plural then takes case endings: defterleri, defterlerde, defterlerden.
How do you say "to the notebook" in Turkish?
"To the notebook" is deftere, the dative case (-e). Similarly, "in / at the notebook" is defterde (locative) and "from the notebook" is defterden (ablative).
How do you say "my notebook" in Turkish?
"My notebook" is defterim (often with the pronoun: benim defterim). "Your notebook" is defterin, "his/her notebook" is defteri and "my notebooks" is defterlerim.
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