With doğa, you can discuss the natural world or the essential character of a person or thing. Follow the same noun from a walk outdoors to an explanation of a problem, choosing the form that fits its role in the sentence.
The idea
The stem stays doğa, including its ğ: doğayı, doğaya, doğanın. The final a determines the suffix vowels. Compare doğayı korumak (to protect nature) with sorunun doğasını anlamak (to understand the nature of the problem): doğası has a possessive ending, and its accusative is doğasını, with an intervening n. For the natural world as a whole, the singular is usual; doğalar can distinguish different natures or temperaments.
| Function | Form |
|---|---|
| Base | doğa |
| Accusative | doğayı |
| Dative | doğaya |
| Locative | doğada |
| Ablative | doğadan |
| Genitive | doğanın |
| With nature | doğayla |
| Plural: distinct natures | doğalar |
| My nature | doğam |
| Your nature (singular) | doğan |
| His / her / its nature | doğası |
| Our nature | doğamız |
| Your nature (plural / polite) | doğanız |
| Their nature / natures | doğaları |
| In his / her / its nature | doğasında |
| Our nature: dative | doğamıza |
Examples
- Doğada sessizce yürüdük.We walked quietly in nature.
- Ressam doğadan ilham alıyor.The painter draws inspiration from nature.
- Biz doğayı birlikte koruyoruz.We protect nature together.
- Doğaya zarar vermeyen bir yöntem arıyoruz.We are looking for a method that does not harm nature.
- Doğanın ritmi bu resme yansıyor.The rhythm of nature is reflected in this painting.
- Bu sorunun doğasını henüz anlamadık.We have not yet understood the nature of this problem.
- İki kardeşin doğaları birbirinden çok farklı.The two siblings have very different temperaments.
- Merak etmek doğamızda var.Being curious is in our nature.
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Watch out
The adjective doğal means “natural”; it is not an inflected form of doğa. Also, doğada means “in nature”, while doğasında means “in his, her or its nature”. In insanın doğasında, omitting the possessive changes the relationship between the words. Do not pluralise the natural world just because it contains many forests or animals.
Try it yourself
Complete with the object form: protecting nature is everyone’s responsibility.
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doğayı
doğayı: nature is what is protected, so it is the object of korumak. The final a needs the linking y before the accusative -ı; no owner is mentioned.
Complete: this behaviour is in human nature. Keep both possession and location.
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doğasında
doğasında: insanın identifies whose nature is meant. Begin with doğası, then add the linking n and locative -da to express that the behaviour is in that nature.
Complete: people’s temperaments can differ. Use the plural with possession.
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doğaları
doğaları: the sentence compares people’s distinct temperaments, so a plural makes sense here. İnsanların also requires possession; doğalar alone would leave that relationship incomplete.
Complete: this does not suit our nature. Use “our” and the case required by “suitable”.
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doğamıza
doğamıza: bizim calls for doğamız, “our nature”. The adjective uygun takes the dative, giving doğamız + a. After -mız, there is no extra linking n.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete with the object form: protecting nature is everyone’s responsibility.
Complete: this behaviour is in human nature. Keep both possession and location.
Complete: people’s temperaments can differ. Use the plural with possession.
Complete: this does not suit our nature. Use “our” and the case required by “suitable”.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write one sentence about time spent outdoors and one about the nature of a problem. Then describe a shared trait using doğamızda. Identify which forms express possession and which express case.