Personal Pronouns

01

Omitting Pronouns

In most sentences, the subject pronoun is omitted. This is because the verb ending already contains the information about who is performing the action. This is often called a "pro-drop" language.

• Okula gidiyorum.

  I am going to school.

• Çok yorgunsun.

  You are very tired.

• Ne zaman geleceksiniz?

  When will you (plural/formal) come?

The pronoun is kept when you want to add emphasis, make a contrast, or clarify who is being talked about.

• Ben Türküm, o Alman.

  I am Turkish, he is German.

• Hayır, biz yapmadık!

  No, we didn't do it!

02

Pronoun Cases

Personal pronouns change their form by taking case suffixes. These suffixes indicate the pronoun's grammatical role in the sentence, such as being the direct object or showing possession.

Accusative Case (-i)

This case marks the direct object of a verb (the person or thing receiving the action). It answers the question "whom?" or "what?".

• beni - me
• seni - you
• onu - him / her / it
• bizi - us
• sizi - you
• onları - them

• Dün seni gördüm.

  I saw you yesterday.

• Polis onları arıyor.

  The police are looking for them.

Dative Case (-e / -a)

This case indicates direction ("to") or the indirect object ("for").

• bana - to me
• sana - to you
• ona - to him / her / it
• bize - to us
• size - to you
• onlara - to them

Note the irregular stem change for the first two pronouns: ben becomes bana and sen becomes sana.

• Bana yardım et.

  Help me.

• Size bir hediye aldım.

  I bought a gift for you (plural/formal).

Locative Case (-de / -da)

This case indicates location ("at," "on," or "in").

• bende - at / on me
• sende - at / on you
• onda - at / on him/her/it
• bizde - at / on us
• sizde - at / on you
• onlarda - at / on them

• Kitap bende değil.

  The book is not with me.

• Sende kalem var mı?

  Do you have a pen on you?

Ablative Case (-den / -dan)

This case indicates origin ("from") or is used in comparisons ("than").

• benden - from me
• senden - from you
• ondan - from him / her / it
• bizden - from us
• sizden - from you
• onlardan - from them

• Benden korkma.

  Don't be afraid of me.

• O, senden daha uzun.

  He is taller than you.

Genitive Case (-in)

This case shows possession ("my," "your," "of me," etc.).

• benim - my / of me
• senin - your / of you
• onun - his / her / its / of him/her/it
• bizim - our / of us
• sizin - your / of you
• onların - their / of them

• Bu benim çantam.

  This is my bag.

• Sizin fikriniz nedir?

  What is your (plural/formal) opinion?

03

Formal and Informal 'You'

There are two ways to say "you."

Sen is the singular, informal "you." It is used with family, friends, children, and people of the same age or younger.

Siz is used in two situations:

1. To address a group of people ("y'all").

2. To address a single person formally and politely. This is used with elders, strangers, and in professional settings.

When using siz to address one person formally, the verb must still be in the 2nd person plural form.

• Sen neredesin?

  Where are you? (informal, to one person)

• Siz neredesiniz?

  Where are you? (to a group, or formal to one person)

• Hoş geldiniz, müdür bey.

  Welcome, sir (director). (formal, to one person)

04

The Gender-Neutral Pronoun 'O'

The pronoun o means "he," "she," and "it." There is no grammatical gender distinction. The meaning is always determined by the context of the conversation.

• O bir öğretmen.

  He/She is a teacher.

• O nerede?

  Where is he/she/it?