Millet Declension: Turkish Cases of 'nation'
millet means “nation”. Its last vowel is e, so 2-way suffixes use e (milletler) and 4-way suffixes use i (milletin). It is a regular noun: suffixes attach directly to millet, as in milleti and millette.
Quick facts
- Plural
- milletler
- nations
- Harmony
- Front unrounded
- suffix vowels e / i
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- milleti
- accusative, “the nation”
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).millette, milletten
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).milletim, milletin
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).milletini, milletinde
Millet in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -ler before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | milletnation | milletlernations |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | milletithe nation (object) | milletlerithe nations (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | milleteto the nation | milletlereto the nations |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | millettein / at the nation | milletlerdein / at the nations |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | millettenfrom the nation | milletlerdenfrom the nations |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | milletinthe nation's / of the nation | milletlerinthe nations's / of the nations |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | milletlewith the nation | milletlerlewith the nations |
Possessive forms: “my nation”, “your nation”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (milletinde). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | milletimmy nation | milletimimy nation (object) | milletimeto my nation | milletimdein / at my nation | milletimdenfrom my nation |
| seninyour | milletinyour nation | milletiniyour nation (object) | milletineto your nation | milletindein / at your nation | milletindenfrom your nation |
| onunhis/her/its | milletihis/her nation | milletinihis/her nation (object) | milletineto his/her nation | milletindein / at his/her nation | milletindenfrom his/her nation |
| bizimour | milletimizour nation | milletimiziour nation (object) | milletimizeto our nation | milletimizdein / at our nation | milletimizdenfrom our nation |
| sizinyour (pl.) | milletinizyour (pl.) nation | milletiniziyour (pl.) nation (object) | milletinizeto your (pl.) nation | milletinizdein / at your (pl.) nation | milletinizdenfrom your (pl.) nation |
| onlarıntheir | milletleritheir nations | milletlerinitheir nations (object) | milletlerineto their nations | milletlerindein / at their nations | milletlerindenfrom their nations |
Plural + possessive: milletlerim (my nations) · milletlerin (your nations) · milletleri (his/her nations) · milletlerimiz (our nations) · milletleriniz (your (pl.) nations) · milletleri (their nations)
Millet in example sentences
Türk milleti misafirperverliğiyle tanınır.
The Turkish nation is known for its hospitality.
Nominative caseFarklı milletlerin kültürlerini tanımak çok güzel.
It's lovely to get to know the cultures of different nations.
Genitive caseEv sahibi millete çay ikram etti.
The host served tea to everyone (in everyday speech millet also means 'everybody').
Dative case
Watch out with millet
- This t does not soften. Unlike kitap → kitabı, millet keeps its t: milleti, millete (not
*milledi). 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: millette, milletten (not
*milletde). Rule → - Two meanings of milletin. milletin is both "of the nation" (genitive) and "your nation" (possessive). milleti is likewise both the object form and "his/her nation". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: society & health
- barış peace
- devlet state
- hak right
- hastalık illness
- kayıp loss
- özgürlük freedom
- suç fault
- hukuk law
- sağlık health
Other front-vowel B1 nouns
Questions about millet
What is the plural of millet?
The plural of millet ("nation") is milletler. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of millet is e, a front vowel, so it takes -ler. The plural then takes case endings: milletleri, milletlerde, milletlerden.
How do you say "to the nation" in Turkish?
"To the nation" is millete, the dative case (-e). Similarly, "in / at the nation" is millette (locative) and "from the nation" is milletten (ablative).
How do you say "my nation" in Turkish?
"My nation" is milletim (often with the pronoun: benim milletim). "Your nation" is milletin, "his/her nation" is milleti and "my nations" is milletlerim.
Drill Turkish noun cases in the TurkLogic app
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