Genç Declension: Turkish Cases of 'young person'
genç means “young person”. Its last vowel is e, so 2-way suffixes use e (gençler) and 4-way suffixes use i (gencin). Its final ç softens to c before a vowel (genci, gence) but stays hard before a consonant (gençte).
Quick facts
- Plural
- gençler
- young people
- Harmony
- Front unrounded
- suffix vowels e / i
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- genci
- accusative, “the young person”
Rules this noun follows
- Consonant softening — A final p, ç, t, k softens to b, c, d, ğ before a vowel.genci, gence, gencim
- Consonant hardening — After f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p a suffix-initial d becomes t (and c becomes ç).gençte, gençten
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).gencim, gencin
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).gencini, gencinde
Genç in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -ler before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | gençyoung person | gençleryoung people |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | gencithe young person (object) | gençlerithe young people (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | genceto the young person | gençlereto the young people |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | gençtein / at the young person | gençlerdein / at the young people |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | gençtenfrom the young person | gençlerdenfrom the young people |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | gencinthe young person's / of the young person | gençlerinthe young people's / of the young people |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | gençlewith the young person | gençlerlewith the young people |
Possessive forms: “my young person”, “your young person”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (gencinde). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | gencimmy young person | gencimimy young person (object) | gencimeto my young person | gencimdein / at my young person | gencimdenfrom my young person |
| seninyour | gencinyour young person | genciniyour young person (object) | gencineto your young person | gencindein / at your young person | gencindenfrom your young person |
| onunhis/her/its | gencihis/her young person | gencinihis/her young person (object) | gencineto his/her young person | gencindein / at his/her young person | gencindenfrom his/her young person |
| bizimour | gencimizour young person | gencimiziour young person (object) | gencimizeto our young person | gencimizdein / at our young person | gencimizdenfrom our young person |
| sizinyour (pl.) | gencinizyour (pl.) young person | genciniziyour (pl.) young person (object) | gencinizeto your (pl.) young person | gencinizdein / at your (pl.) young person | gencinizdenfrom your (pl.) young person |
| onlarıntheir | gençleritheir young people | gençlerinitheir young people (object) | gençlerineto their young people | gençlerindein / at their young people | gençlerindenfrom their young people |
Plural + possessive: gençlerim (my young people) · gençlerin (your young people) · gençleri (his/her young people) · gençlerimiz (our young people) · gençleriniz (your (pl.) young people) · gençleri (their young people)
Genç in example sentences
Watch out with genç
- A one-syllable word that softens. Final ç softens before a vowel: genci, gence, gencim (not
*gençi). Before a consonant it stays hard: gençte, gençler. 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: gençte, gençten (not
*gençde). Rule → - Two meanings of gencin. gencin is both "of the young person" (genitive) and "your young person" (possessive). genci is likewise both the object form and "his/her young person". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: family & people
- akraba relative
- eş spouse
- koca husband
- misafir guest
- abla older sister
- adam man
- ağabey older brother
- aile family
- amca uncle
- anne mother
Other nouns that soften
Questions about genç
What is the plural of genç?
The plural of genç ("young person") is gençler. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of genç is e, a front vowel, so it takes -ler. The plural then takes case endings: gençleri, gençlerde, gençlerden.
How do you say "to the young person" in Turkish?
"To the young person" is gence, the dative case (-e). Similarly, "in / at the young person" is gençte (locative) and "from the young person" is gençten (ablative).
Why does genç become genci?
Final p, ç, t and k soften to b, c, d and ğ (g after n) when a vowel follows. Genç follows this rule, so the accusative is genci and "my young person" is gencim. Before a consonant the hard letter stays: gençte, gençler.
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