Havlu Declension: Turkish Cases of 'towel'
havlu means “towel”. Its last vowel is u, so 2-way suffixes use a (havlular) and 4-way suffixes use u (havlunun). Because it ends in a vowel, vowel-initial suffixes need a buffer letter: havluyu, havlunun, havlusu.
Quick facts
- Plural
- havlular
- towels
- Harmony
- Back rounded
- suffix vowels a / u
- Ends in
- a vowel
- buffer letters y / n / s
- Object form
- havluyu
- accusative, “the towel”
Rules this noun follows
- Buffer letter y — y separates two vowels (kapı-y-ı).havluyu, havluya, havluyla
- Buffer letter n — n separates two vowels in the genitive (kapı-n-ın).havlunun
- Buffer letter s — s separates two vowels in the 3rd-person possessive (kapı-s-ı).havlusu
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).havlusunu, havlusunda
Havlu in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -lar before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | havlutowel | havlulartowels |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | havluyuthe towel (object) | havlularıthe towels (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | havluyato the towel | havlularato the towels |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | havludain / at the towel | havlulardain / at the towels |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | havludanfrom the towel | havlulardanfrom the towels |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | havlununthe towel's / of the towel | havlularınthe towels's / of the towels |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | havluylawith the towel | havlularlawith the towels |
Possessive forms: “my towel”, “your towel”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (havlusunda). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | havlummy towel | havlumumy towel (object) | havlumato my towel | havlumdain / at my towel | havlumdanfrom my towel |
| seninyour | havlunyour towel | havlunuyour towel (object) | havlunato your towel | havlundain / at your towel | havlundanfrom your towel |
| onunhis/her/its | havlusuhis/her towel | havlusunuhis/her towel (object) | havlusunato his/her towel | havlusundain / at his/her towel | havlusundanfrom his/her towel |
| bizimour | havlumuzour towel | havlumuzuour towel (object) | havlumuzato our towel | havlumuzdain / at our towel | havlumuzdanfrom our towel |
| sizinyour (pl.) | havlunuzyour (pl.) towel | havlunuzuyour (pl.) towel (object) | havlunuzato your (pl.) towel | havlunuzdain / at your (pl.) towel | havlunuzdanfrom your (pl.) towel |
| onlarıntheir | havlularıtheir towels | havlularınıtheir towels (object) | havlularınato their towels | havlularındain / at their towels | havlularındanfrom their towels |
Plural + possessive: havlularım (my towels) · havluların (your towels) · havluları (his/her towels) · havlularımız (our towels) · havlularınız (your (pl.) towels) · havluları (their towels)
Havlu in example sentences
Watch out with havlu
- Buffer letters after the final vowel. Vowel suffixes need a buffer: havluyu (y), havlunun (n), havlusu (s). After havlusu a case suffix adds n: havlusunda, not
*havlusuda. Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: everyday objects
- cep pocket
- cüzdan wallet
- dergi magazine
- gözlük glasses
- ilaç medicine
- kutu box
- mektup letter
- oyuncak toy
- sabun soap
- şemsiye umbrella
Other A2 nouns ending in a vowel
Questions about havlu
What is the plural of havlu?
The plural of havlu ("towel") is havlular. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of havlu is u, a back vowel, so it takes -lar. The plural then takes case endings: havluları, havlularda, havlulardan.
How do you say "to the towel" in Turkish?
"To the towel" is havluya, the dative case (-ya). Similarly, "in / at the towel" is havluda (locative) and "from the towel" is havludan (ablative).
How do you say "my towel" in Turkish?
"My towel" is havlum (often with the pronoun: benim havlum). "Your towel" is havlun, "his/her towel" is havlusu and "my towels" is havlularım.
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