Turkish Locative Case (-de / -da / -te / -ta): Location & Time

The locative case (bulunma hâli) tells you where something is or when something happens. One suffix covers English in, on and at: evde (at home), masada (on the table), İstanbul’da (in Istanbul), saat beşte (at five o’clock). It answers the questions nerede? (where?) and ne zaman? / saat kaçta? (when? / at what time?).

For the full system, see the noun cases overview. The locative’s two neighbours are the dative (to) and the ablative (from).

Forming the locative

The suffix has four forms. The vowel follows two-way vowel harmony; the consonant becomes t after a voiceless consonant (f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p — FıSTıKÇı ŞaHaP, “Şahap the pistachio seller”).

Because the suffix begins with a consonant, there is no buffer letter and no softening: kitapta, sokakta.

Pronouns, places and possessed nouns

Note the pronominal n in evinde (see buffer letters) and the place forms explained in demonstratives.

Where: location

• Kitap masada. — The book is on the table.
• Annem mutfakta. — My mother is in the kitchen.
• Ankara’da yaşıyorum. — I live in Ankara.
• Durakta seni bekliyorum. — I’m waiting for you at the bus stop.
• Telefonum çantamda değil. — My phone isn’t in my bag.
• Nerede oturuyorsun? — Where do you live?

With “to be” endings: evdeyim

Add the personal “to be” endings (see personal pronouns and “to be”) to say where someone is:

When: time

• Saat kaçta buluşalım? — What time shall we meet?
• Film sekizde başlıyor. — The film starts at eight.
• 1995’te Bursa’da doğdum. — I was born in Bursa in 1995.

With numerals, choose -de/-te by pronunciation: 3’te (üçte), 4’te (dörtte), 5’te (beşte), 6’da (altıda), 10’da (onda).

Watch out: summer and winter usually use a different form: yazın (in summer), kışın (in winter). Days of the week usually take günü: pazartesi günü (on Monday).

States and situations

The locative also describes a situation someone is in:

• Toplantıdayım, sonra arayacağım. — I’m in a meeting; I’ll call later.
• Bu hafta tatildeyiz. — We’re on holiday this week.
• Yoldayım, on dakikaya oradayım. — I’m on my way; I’ll be there in ten minutes.
• Bu ayakkabılar indirimde. — These shoes are on sale.
• Kaç yaşındasın? — How old are you?
• Türkçede artikel yok. — There are no articles in Turkish.
• Bu konuda haklısın. — You’re right about this.

Making adjectives with -deki

Adding -ki turns a locative into an adjective (“the … in/at …”):

• masadaki çay — the tea on the table
• İstanbul’daki arkadaşım — my friend in Istanbul
• Buradaki restoranlar pahalı. — The restaurants here are expensive.

Locative and “having”: bende

Bende, sende, onda… followed by var/yok means having something on you at the moment: Bende kalem var (I’ve got a pen on me). Ownership uses a possessive instead: Kalemim var (I own a pen). Both patterns, and every other way of saying “there is” and “I have”, are covered in existential sentences with var and yok.

Locative or dative?

The locative describes position; the dative describes movement towards a place.

Position words: önünde, yanında, içinde

To say “in front of”, “next to” or “inside”, Turkish combines the genitive, a position noun with a possessive, and the locative (see the genitive case):

• Anahtarlar kapının yanında. — The keys are by the door.

Short dialogue

• Merve: Alo, neredesin? — Hello, where are you?
• Can: Yoldayım, otobüsteyim. Sen neredesin? — I’m on my way, I’m on the bus. Where are you?
• Merve: Kafedeyim, pencerenin önündeki masadayım. — I’m at the café, at the table by the window.
• Can: Tamam, on dakikada oradayım. — OK, I’ll be there in ten minutes.
• Merve: Saat kaçta çıkman lazım? — What time do you need to leave?
• Can: Altıda. Akşam evde misafirlerimiz var. — At six. We have guests at home this evening.

Common mistakes

1. d after a voiceless consonant: parkda, işde → parkta, işte.
2. Wrong vowel on names: İstanbul’de → İstanbul’da (last vowel u).
3. Locative with motion verbs: Evde gidiyorum → Eve gidiyorum.
4. Joining the particle de: Bende geldim (“I came too”) → Ben de geldim. Write bende as one word only for “on me / at my place”.
5. Splitting the case suffix: ev de for “at home” → evde.
6. Using var for a known item: Anahtar masada var → Anahtar masada (The key is on the table).

Mini-exercise

Add the locative ending.

1. Annem (mutfak). → ?
2. Kardeşim (Almanya) yaşıyor. → ?
3. Toplantı saat (üç) başlıyor. → ?
4. (Ben) iki bilet var. → ?
5. (Ofis) kimse yok. → ?
6. (nere-) oturuyorsun? → ?

Answers: 1. mutfakta 2. Almanya’da 3. üçte 4. Bende 5. Ofiste 6. Nerede

Practice this

Check -de or -te for any word in the harmony calculator, then learn to say “there is” and “I have” with var and yok.