Devlet means a state as a political entity. Use the fictional settings and classroom discussions here to practise its forms, then distinguish a state from a government when choosing your vocabulary.
The idea
The stem stays devlet- before a vowel: devleti, devlete, devletimiz. Its last vowel gives front-vowel endings, and the final voiceless t gives devlette and devletten. Context distinguishes devleti as a definite object from onun devleti (his or her state). In the latter, adding a case gives forms such as onun devletine. As an ordinary common noun, it takes no apostrophe.
| Form | Function / meaning |
|---|---|
| devlet | state (base form) |
| devleti | the state (definite object) |
| devlete | to the state (dative) |
| devlette | in the state (locative) |
| devletten | from the state (ablative) |
| devletin | of the state (genitive) |
| devletle | with the state |
| devletler | states (plural) |
| devletim | my state |
| devletin | your state (one person, informal) |
| devleti | his / her state |
| devletimiz | our state |
| devletiniz | your state (plural or polite) |
| devletleri | their state(s); also his / her states or states as a definite object |
| devletlerimiz | our states |
| onun devletine | to his / her state |
Examples
- Bu roman devleti eleştiriyor.This novel criticises the state.
- Bugün devletin tarihini tartışıyoruz.Today we are discussing the history of the state.
- Bu bölümde devletlerden söz ediliyor.This chapter talks about states.
- Bu metin devlete farklı bir anlam yüklüyor.This text gives a different meaning to the state.
- Romandaki devletin adı yok.The state in the novel has no name.
- Bu hayalî devlette para kullanılmıyor.Money is not used in this fictional state.
- Oyunda devletimiz küçük bir adada.In the game, our state is on a small island.
- Romandaki kahraman devletten yardım bekliyor.The character in the novel expects help from the state.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Turkish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Turkish device voice is available. You can still read the text.
Watch out
Do not automatically turn final t into d: write devleti, not devledi. Also avoid translating every occurrence of “government” as devlet: hükûmet is the word for the government, while devlet names the state.
Try it yourself
Complete: This novel criticises the state.
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devleti
devleti: the novel criticises a particular state, so the noun is the definite direct object. The final t stays before -i; no possessor is expressed here.
Complete: The character in the novel expects help from the state.
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devletten
devletten: the state is the source of the expected help. That requires the ablative; the two adjacent letters tt belong to the stem and suffix respectively.
Use “our state”: In the game, our state is on a small island.
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devletimiz
devletimiz: bizim identifies a group that includes the speaker, so the noun needs first-person plural possession. There is still only one state.
Use the plural: Different states are compared in this chapter.
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devletler
devletler: the instruction asks for several states. The plural is -ler, with e matching the last vowel; this is the subject of a passive sentence, not a definite object.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete: This novel criticises the state.
Complete: The character in the novel expects help from the state.
Use “our state”: In the game, our state is on a small island.
Use the plural: Different states are compared in this chapter.
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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Describe a fictional state in four sentences. Include its name, something said about it, something expected from it and a phrase meaning “our state”. Check each ending against its role.