Yemek Declension: Turkish Cases of 'meal'
yemek means “meal, food”. Its last vowel is e, so 2-way suffixes use e (yemekler) and 4-way suffixes use i (yemeğin). Its final k softens to ğ before a vowel (yemeği, yemeğe) but stays hard before a consonant (yemekte).
Quick facts
- Plural
- yemekler
- meals
- Harmony
- Front unrounded
- suffix vowels e / i
- Ends in
- a consonant
- suffixes attach directly
- Object form
- yemeği
- accusative, “the meal”
Rules this noun follows
- Consonant softening — A final p, ç, t, k softens to b, c, d, ğ before a vowel.yemeği, yemeğe, yemeğim
- Consonant hardening — After f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p a suffix-initial d becomes t (and c becomes ç).yemekte, yemekten
- Linking vowel — A harmonised vowel is inserted after a consonant (kitab-ı-m).yemeğim, yemeğin
- Pronominal n — After a 3rd-person possessive, case suffixes take n (arabası-n-ı, evi-n-de).yemeğini, yemeğinde
Yemek in all seven cases
The added suffix is highlighted. Plural forms put -ler before the case ending.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| NominativeYalın hâl · no ending | yemekmeal | yemeklermeals |
| AccusativeBelirtme hâli · -(y)I | yemeğithe meal (object) | yemeklerithe meals (object) |
| DativeYönelme hâli · -(y)A | yemeğeto the meal | yemeklereto the meals |
| LocativeBulunma hâli · -DA | yemektein / at the meal | yemeklerdein / at the meals |
| AblativeAyrılma hâli · -DAn | yemektenfrom the meal | yemeklerdenfrom the meals |
| Genitiveİlgi hâli · -(n)In | yemeğinthe meal's / of the meal | yemeklerinthe meals's / of the meals |
| InstrumentalVasıta hâli · -(y)lA | yemeklewith the meal | yemeklerlewith the meals |
Possessive forms: “my meal”, “your meal”…
The possessive suffix comes first, then the case. After the 3rd-person forms a case ending takes an extra n (yemeğinde). See possessive suffixes.
| Owner | Nominative | Accusative | Dative | Locative | Ablative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benimmy | yemeğimmy meal | yemeğimimy meal (object) | yemeğimeto my meal | yemeğimdein / at my meal | yemeğimdenfrom my meal |
| seninyour | yemeğinyour meal | yemeğiniyour meal (object) | yemeğineto your meal | yemeğindein / at your meal | yemeğindenfrom your meal |
| onunhis/her/its | yemeğihis/her meal | yemeğinihis/her meal (object) | yemeğineto his/her meal | yemeğindein / at his/her meal | yemeğindenfrom his/her meal |
| bizimour | yemeğimizour meal | yemeğimiziour meal (object) | yemeğimizeto our meal | yemeğimizdein / at our meal | yemeğimizdenfrom our meal |
| sizinyour (pl.) | yemeğinizyour (pl.) meal | yemeğiniziyour (pl.) meal (object) | yemeğinizeto your (pl.) meal | yemeğinizdein / at your (pl.) meal | yemeğinizdenfrom your (pl.) meal |
| onlarıntheir | yemekleritheir meals | yemeklerinitheir meals (object) | yemeklerineto their meals | yemeklerindein / at their meals | yemeklerindenfrom their meals |
Plural + possessive: yemeklerim (my meals) · yemeklerin (your meals) · yemekleri (his/her meals) · yemeklerimiz (our meals) · yemekleriniz (your (pl.) meals) · yemekleri (their meals)
Yemek in example sentences
Watch out with yemek
- Softening before vowels. Final k softens before a vowel: yemeği, yemeğe, yemeğim (not
*yemeki). Before a consonant it stays hard: yemekte, yemekler. Rule → - Noun or verb?. yemek is also the infinitive "to eat". As a noun it softens like other polysyllables: yemeği, yemeğe.
- Locative with t, not d. After a voiceless consonant the locative and ablative start with t: yemekte, yemekten (not
*yemekde). Rule → - Two meanings of yemeğin. yemeğin is both "of the meal" (genitive) and "your meal" (possessive). yemeği is likewise both the object form and "his/her meal". Rule →
Related nouns and resources
Related nouns: food & drink
- bal honey
- balık fish
- çay tea
- çorba soup
- domates tomato
- ekmek bread
- elma apple
- et meat
- kahvaltı breakfast
- kahve coffee
Other nouns that soften
Questions about yemek
What is the plural of yemek?
The plural of yemek ("meal") is yemekler. The plural suffix follows 2-way vowel harmony: the last vowel of yemek is e, a front vowel, so it takes -ler. The plural then takes case endings: yemekleri, yemeklerde, yemeklerden.
How do you say "to the meal" in Turkish?
"To the meal" is yemeğe, the dative case (-e). Similarly, "in / at the meal" is yemekte (locative) and "from the meal" is yemekten (ablative).
Why does yemek become yemeği?
Final p, ç, t and k soften to b, c, d and ğ (g after n) when a vowel follows. Yemek follows this rule, so the accusative is yemeği and "my meal" is yemeğim. Before a consonant the hard letter stays: yemekte, yemekler.
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