Oğul Declension: Turkish Cases of 'son'
oğul means “son”. Its last vowel is u, so 2-way suffixes use a (oğullar) and 4-way suffixes use u (oğlun). Its last vowel drops before a vowel suffix (oğlu, oğla) but stays before a consonant (oğulda).
Quick facts
- Plural
- oğullar
- sons
- Harmony
- Back rounded
- suffix vowels a / u
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- oğlu
- accusative, “the son”
Rules this noun follows
- Vowel drop — The last vowel of the root drops before a vowel-initial suffix.oğlu, oğla, oğlum
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).oğlum, oğlun
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).oğlunu, oğlunda
Oğul in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -lar before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | oğulson | oğullarsons |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | oğluthe son (object) | oğullarıthe sons (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | oğlato the son | oğullarato the sons |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | oğuldain / at the son | oğullardain / at the sons |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | oğuldanfrom the son | oğullardanfrom the sons |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | oğlunthe son's / of the son | oğullarınthe sons's / of the sons |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | oğullawith the son | oğullarlawith the sons |
Possessive forms: “my son”, “your son”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (oğlunda). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | oğlummy son | oğlumumy son (object) | oğlumato my son | oğlumdain / at my son | oğlumdanfrom my son |
| seninyour | oğlunyour son | oğlunuyour son (object) | oğlunato your son | oğlundain / at your son | oğlundanfrom your son |
| onunhis/her/its | oğluhis/her son | oğlunuhis/her son (object) | oğlunato his/her son | oğlundain / at his/her son | oğlundanfrom his/her son |
| bizimour | oğlumuzour son | oğlumuzuour son (object) | oğlumuzato our son | oğlumuzdain / at our son | oğlumuzdanfrom our son |
| sizinyour (pl.) | oğlunuzyour (pl.) son | oğlunuzuyour (pl.) son (object) | oğlunuzato your (pl.) son | oğlunuzdain / at your (pl.) son | oğlunuzdanfrom your (pl.) son |
| onlarıntheir | oğullarıtheir sons | oğullarınıtheir sons (object) | oğullarınato their sons | oğullarındain / at their sons | oğullarındanfrom their sons |
Plural + possessive: oğullarım (my sons) · oğulların (your sons) · oğulları (his/her sons) · oğullarımız (our sons) · oğullarınız (your (pl.) sons) · oğulları (their sons)
Oğul in example sentences
Watch out with oğul
- The last vowel drops. Before a vowel suffix the second vowel disappears: oğlu, oğla, oğlum (not
*oğulu,*oğula). Consonant suffixes keep it: oğulda, oğullar. Rule → - Everyday use. oğlum (my son) is also an affectionate way to address any boy or young man: Oğlum, gel buraya! "Come here, son!"
- Two meanings of oğlun. oğlun is both "of the son" (genitive) and "your son" (possessive). oğlu is likewise both the object form and "his/her son". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: family & people
- abla older sister
- adam man
- ağabey older brother
- aile family
- amca uncle
- anne mother
- arkadaş friend
- baba father
- bebek baby
- çocuk child
Other nouns that drop a vowel
Questions about oğul
What is the plural of oğul?
The plural of oğul ("son") is oğullar. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of oğul is u, a back vowel, so it takes -lar. The plural then takes case endings: oğulları, oğullarda, oğullardan.
How do you say "to the son" in Turkish?
"To the son" is oğla, the dative case (-a). Similarly, "in / at the son" is oğulda (locative) and "from the son" is oğuldan (ablative).
Why is it oğlu and not oğulu?
Oğul belongs to a group of two-syllable nouns (mostly Arabic loans and body parts) whose second vowel drops when a vowel-initial suffix follows: oğlu, oğla, oğlum. With consonant-initial suffixes the vowel stays: oğulda, oğullar.
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