You will count things and ask how many with a singular noun, and keep the plural for sentences where nothing counts the noun.
The idea
A number or quantity word already says “more than one”, so the noun after it is singular: iki kitap, on çocuk, birkaç domates, çok insan, kaç öğrenci? The plural -ler/-lar appears when nothing counts the noun: Kitaplar masada. The same holds with a possessive ending: iki kardeşim.
| Quantity word | Noun | Phrase |
|---|---|---|
| üç | kız | üç kız |
| on | çocuk | on çocuk |
| birkaç | domates | birkaç domates |
| çok | insan | çok insan |
| kaç | öğrenci | kaç öğrenci? |
Examples
- Masada üç kitap var.There are three books on the table.
- Benim iki kardeşim var.I have two siblings.
- Parkta çok çocuk oynuyor.Many children are playing in the park.
- Masada kaç bardak var?How many glasses are on the table?
- Yarın dört arkadaşım geliyor.Four friends of mine are coming tomorrow.The number already shows the plural, so the noun stays singular: arkadaşım, not arkadaşlarım.
- Çantamda birkaç kalem var.I have a few pencils in my bag.
- Kitaplar masada.The books are on the table.With no number to count them, the noun needs the plural: kitaplar.
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Watch out
Speakers of languages that pluralise after a number say üç kitaplar or iki kardeşlerim. Both are wrong: üç kitap, iki kardeşim. The question stays singular too: kaç çocuk var?, not kaç çocuklar var?
Try it yourself
There are two chairs in the room. Write the noun without a plural suffix.
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sandalye
sandalye: iki already shows there is more than one, so the noun takes no -ler; sandalyeler would mark the plural twice.
There are three girls in the garden. Write the noun without a plural suffix.
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kız
kız: üç does the counting. Keep the dotless ı; kızlar is for girls that nothing counts.
There are ten students in the class. Write the noun without a plural suffix.
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öğrenci
öğrenci: on is the count, so the noun stays in its dictionary form even though ten people are meant.
The books are on the table. No number is given here, so add the plural.
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kitaplar
kitaplar: nothing counts the books, so the plural is needed, and the back vowel a chooses -lar.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
There are two chairs in the room. Write the noun without a plural suffix.
There are three girls in the garden. Write the noun without a plural suffix.
There are ten students in the class. Write the noun without a plural suffix.
The books are on the table. No number is given here, so add the plural.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
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Write four sentences that count things in your room or bag (iki, üç, dört…) and one question with kaç. Check that no noun ends in -ler or -lar.