Buffer Consonants

01

The 'y' Buffer: The General Rule

The consonant y is the most common buffer. It is used when a suffix beginning with a vowel is added to a word stem that ends in a vowel. This applies to many common case endings.

The most frequent use is with the accusative case suffix (-i/ı/u/ü), which marks the direct object of a verb, and the dative case suffix (-e/a), which indicates direction or "to".

Accusative Case with 'y' buffer

• Arabayı yıkadım.

  I washed the car. (from araba + y + ı)

• Kediyi seviyorum.

  I love the cat. (from kedi + y + i)

Dative Case with 'y' buffer

• Partiye kim geliyor?

  Who is coming to the party? (from parti + y + e)

• Masaya bir kitap koydu.

  He put a book on the table. (from masa + y + a)

02

The 's' Buffer: 3rd Person Possessive

The consonant s is used exclusively for one purpose: to attach the 3rd person possessive suffix (-i/ı/u/ü) to a noun that ends in a vowel. This suffix means "his," "her," or "its." The full form of the suffix is often written as -(s)i to show that the s is only used after a vowel.

• Annesi doktordur.

  His/her mother is a doctor. (from anne + s + i)

• Balkon kapısı açık.

  The balcony door is open. (from kapı + s + ı)

If the noun ends in a consonant, no buffer is needed.

• Onun evi çok büyük.

  His/her house is very big. (from ev + i)

03

The 'n' Buffer: Genitive and After Possessives

The consonant n is used in two specific contexts: with the genitive case and as a buffer between a possessive suffix and another case suffix.

1. The Genitive Case Suffix -(n)in/ın/un/ün

This suffix, indicating possession ("of" or 's), always uses an n buffer when the noun ends in a vowel.

• Arabanın anahtarı nerede?

  Where is the car's key? (from araba + n + ın)

• Ayşe'nin arkadaşı geldi.

  Ayşe's friend came. (from Ayşe + n + in)

2. Between a Possessive and a Case Suffix

When a noun already has the 3rd person possessive suffix -(s)i and you need to add another case suffix (like accusative, dative, locative, or ablative), the buffer consonant n is required.

This creates a clear distinction. Compare the accusative of "the cat" (kediyi) with the accusative of "his/her cat" (kedisini).

• kedi + i → kediyi (uses the y buffer)
• kedi + si + i → kedisini (uses the n buffer)

Even case suffixes that start with a consonant, like the locative -de/da ("at, in") and ablative -den/dan ("from"), require the n buffer when following the 3rd person possessive.

• Onun arabasında bekliyorum.

  I am waiting in his/her car. (from arabası + n + da)

• Arkadaşının evinden yeni ayrıldım.

  I just left from his/her friend's house. (from evi + n + den)

04

Distinguishing Suffixes

The use of different buffer consonants helps to avoid ambiguity. When a noun ends in a vowel, the accusative and 3rd person possessive forms are clearly different thanks to the buffers y and s.

• Accusative: kapıyı (the door)
• Possessive: kapısı (his/her/its door)

However, if a noun ends in a consonant, the accusative suffix -i and the 3rd person possessive suffix -i are identical. In these cases, the meaning must be understood from the context of the sentence.

• Evi temizledim.

  I cleaned the house. (Accusative)

• Onun evi göl kenarında.

  His/her house is by the lake. (Possessive)