Şehir Declension: Turkish Cases of 'city'
şehir means “city”. Its last vowel is i, so 2-way suffixes use e (şehirler) and 4-way suffixes use i (şehrin). Its last vowel drops before a vowel suffix (şehri, şehre) but stays before a consonant (şehirde).
Quick facts
- Plural
- şehirler
- cities
- Harmony
- Front unrounded
- suffix vowels e / i
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- şehri
- accusative, “the city”
Rules this noun follows
- Vowel drop — The last vowel of the root drops before a vowel-initial suffix.şehri, şehre, şehrim
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).şehrim, şehrin
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).şehrini, şehrinde
Şehir in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -ler before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | şehircity | şehirlercities |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | şehrithe city (object) | şehirlerithe cities (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | şehreto the city | şehirlereto the cities |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | şehirdein / at the city | şehirlerdein / at the cities |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | şehirdenfrom the city | şehirlerdenfrom the cities |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | şehrinthe city's / of the city | şehirlerinthe cities's / of the cities |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | şehirlewith the city | şehirlerlewith the cities |
Possessive forms: “my city”, “your city”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (şehrinde). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | şehrimmy city | şehrimimy city (object) | şehrimeto my city | şehrimdein / at my city | şehrimdenfrom my city |
| seninyour | şehrinyour city | şehriniyour city (object) | şehrineto your city | şehrindein / at your city | şehrindenfrom your city |
| onunhis/her/its | şehrihis/her city | şehrinihis/her city (object) | şehrineto his/her city | şehrindein / at his/her city | şehrindenfrom his/her city |
| bizimour | şehrimizour city | şehrimiziour city (object) | şehrimizeto our city | şehrimizdein / at our city | şehrimizdenfrom our city |
| sizinyour (pl.) | şehrinizyour (pl.) city | şehriniziyour (pl.) city (object) | şehrinizeto your (pl.) city | şehrinizdein / at your (pl.) city | şehrinizdenfrom your (pl.) city |
| onlarıntheir | şehirleritheir cities | şehirlerinitheir cities (object) | şehirlerineto their cities | şehirlerindein / at their cities | şehirlerindenfrom their cities |
Plural + possessive: şehirlerim (my cities) · şehirlerin (your cities) · şehirleri (his/her cities) · şehirlerimiz (our cities) · şehirleriniz (your (pl.) cities) · şehirleri (their cities)
Şehir in example sentences
Watch out with şehir
- The last vowel drops. Before a vowel suffix the second vowel disappears: şehri, şehre, şehrim (not
*şehiri,*şehire). Consonant suffixes keep it: şehirde, şehirler. Rule → - Two meanings of şehrin. şehrin is both "of the city" (genitive) and "your city" (possessive). şehri is likewise both the object form and "his/her city". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: places in town
- adres address
- banka bank
- cadde avenue
- durak stop
- dükkân shop
- eczane pharmacy
- hastane hospital
- köy village
- market supermarket
- müze museum
Other nouns that drop a vowel
Questions about şehir
What is the plural of şehir?
The plural of şehir ("city") is şehirler. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of şehir is i, a front vowel, so it takes -ler. The plural then takes case endings: şehirleri, şehirlerde, şehirlerden.
How do you say "to the city" in Turkish?
"To the city" is şehre, the dative case (-e). Similarly, "in / at the city" is şehirde (locative) and "from the city" is şehirden (ablative).
Why is it şehri and not şehiri?
Şehir belongs to a group of two-syllable nouns (mostly Arabic loans and body parts) whose second vowel drops when a vowel-initial suffix follows: şehri, şehre, şehrim. With consonant-initial suffixes the vowel stays: şehirde, şehirler.
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