Hayat Declension: Turkish Cases of 'life'
hayat means “life”. Its last vowel is a, so 2-way suffixes use a (hayatlar) and 4-way suffixes use ı (hayatın). It is a regular noun: suffixes attach directly to hayat, as in hayatı and hayatta.
Quick facts
- Plural
- hayatlar
- lives
- Harmony
- Back unrounded
- suffix vowels a / ı
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- hayatı
- accusative, “the life”
Rules this noun follows
- Consonant hardening — After f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p a suffix-initial d becomes t (and c becomes ç).hayatta, hayattan
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).hayatım, hayatın
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).hayatını, hayatında
Hayat in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -lar before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | hayatlife | hayatlarlives |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | hayatıthe life (object) | hayatlarıthe lives (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | hayatato the life | hayatlarato the lives |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | hayattain / at the life | hayatlardain / at the lives |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | hayattanfrom the life | hayatlardanfrom the lives |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | hayatınthe life's / of the life | hayatlarınthe lives's / of the lives |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | hayatlawith the life | hayatlarlawith the lives |
Possessive forms: “my life”, “your life”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (hayatında). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | hayatımmy life | hayatımımy life (object) | hayatımato my life | hayatımdain / at my life | hayatımdanfrom my life |
| seninyour | hayatınyour life | hayatınıyour life (object) | hayatınato your life | hayatındain / at your life | hayatındanfrom your life |
| onunhis/her/its | hayatıhis/her life | hayatınıhis/her life (object) | hayatınato his/her life | hayatındain / at his/her life | hayatındanfrom his/her life |
| bizimour | hayatımızour life | hayatımızıour life (object) | hayatımızato our life | hayatımızdain / at our life | hayatımızdanfrom our life |
| sizinyour (pl.) | hayatınızyour (pl.) life | hayatınızıyour (pl.) life (object) | hayatınızato your (pl.) life | hayatınızdain / at your (pl.) life | hayatınızdanfrom your (pl.) life |
| onlarıntheir | hayatlarıtheir lives | hayatlarınıtheir lives (object) | hayatlarınato their lives | hayatlarındain / at their lives | hayatlarındanfrom their lives |
Plural + possessive: hayatlarım (my lives) · hayatların (your lives) · hayatları (his/her lives) · hayatlarımız (our lives) · hayatlarınız (your (pl.) lives) · hayatları (their lives)
Hayat in example sentences
Watch out with hayat
- This t does not soften. Unlike kitap → kitabı, hayat keeps its t: hayatı, hayata (not
*hayadı). Loanwords and some native words are exceptions to the softening rule, so learn them as you meet them. Rule → - Locative with t, not d. After a voiceless consonant the locative and ablative start with t: hayatta, hayattan (not
*hayatda). Rule → - Two meanings of hayatın. hayatın is both "of the life" (genitive) and "your life" (possessive). hayatı is likewise both the object form and "his/her life". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: feelings & the mind
- aşk love
- fikir idea
- rüya dream
- şans luck
- akıl mind
- dert trouble
- dikkat attention
- düşünce thought
- hayal dream
- his feeling
Other back-vowel A1 nouns
Questions about hayat
What is the plural of hayat?
The plural of hayat ("life") is hayatlar. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of hayat is a, a back vowel, so it takes -lar. The plural then takes case endings: hayatları, hayatlarda, hayatlardan.
How do you say "to the life" in Turkish?
"To the life" is hayata, the dative case (-a). Similarly, "in / at the life" is hayatta (locative) and "from the life" is hayattan (ablative).
How do you say "my life" in Turkish?
"My life" is hayatım (often with the pronoun: benim hayatım). "Your life" is hayatın, "his/her life" is hayatı and "my lives" is hayatlarım.
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