Turkish Accusative Case: -ı, -i, -u, -ü Explained
How the Turkish accusative suffix works — when a direct object takes it, four-way vowel harmony, the -y- buffer after a vowel, consonant softening, and the apostrophe with proper nouns.
Ekle ·
The accusative marks a direct object that is specific and identifiable — a particular thing, not just any one of its kind — and its vowel harmonises four ways.
What the accusative does
The whole topic turns on one contrast. kitabı okudum means "I read the book" — a particular book we both have in mind, and the ending on the noun is what makes it definite. Take that ending off and you get kitap okudum, "I read a book" or simply "I did some reading", with no particular book in view.
A non-specific object stays bare, and putting a number in front of it changes nothing: bir kitap okudum is "I read a book", still with no ending, because "a book" names no particular one. The accusative is the mark of which one being settled.
Vowel harmony chooses the vowel
One suffix, four spellings, and the stem's last vowel decides which. A back unrounded vowel takes -ı, a front unrounded one -i, a back rounded one -u, and a front rounded one -ü. The suffix vowel simply copies the frontness and the rounding of the vowel in front of it.
| Last vowel | Accusative suffix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a · ı | -ı | kitabı |
| e · i | -i | evi |
| o · u | -u | okulu |
| ö · ü | -ü | gözü |
A buffer and consonant softening
When the stem ends in a vowel, a buffer -y- slides in so that two vowels never sit side by side: araba becomes arabayı. Leave the buffer out and you land on the wrong arabaı, which no one says.
A stem ending in p, ç, t or k softens that final consonant before the suffix, since the ending opens with a vowel: the p of kitap becomes b in kitabı, and the k of köpek becomes a soft g in köpeği. Forget the softening and you write the wrong kitapı.
Five worked forms
Each of these is a definite object — a particular one — so each carries the accusative. Read every one as the answer to which one.
| Turkish | Parts | English |
|---|---|---|
| kitabı | kitab + ı | the book |
| evi | ev + i | the house |
| arabayı | araba + yı | the car |
| gözü | göz + ü | the eye |
| köpeği | köpeğ + i | the dog |
Proper nouns take an apostrophe
On a proper noun the accusative is written after an apostrophe, which keeps the name visually intact: Ahmet'i is "Ahmet" as the object of the sentence. Harmony still chooses the vowel from the name's last vowel; the apostrophe changes only the spelling.
| Turkish | Parts | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ahmet'i | Ahmet + i | Ahmet (as the object) |
Where it overlaps with the possessive
After a consonant the accusative and the third-person possessive look the same. evi can be "the house" as an object or "his house" as a possessive, and only the sentence around it tells you which. The two come apart after a vowel, where each reaches for a different buffer: arabayı is "the car" as an object, with the -y- buffer, while arabası is "his car", with an -s- buffer.
This is a boundary note only — the possessive is its own topic. The one thing to carry away: a form like evi is ambiguous standing on its own, and a form like arabayı is not.
| Turkish | Parts | English |
|---|---|---|
| evi | ev + i | the house (object) — or his house (possessive) |
| arabayı | araba + yı | the car (object) |
Frequently asked questions
- When do I add the accusative suffix?
- When the direct object is specific — a particular, identifiable thing. kitabı okudum is "I read the book", a book we both have in mind, so it takes the suffix. kitap okudum is "I read a book" or "I did some reading", with no particular book, so it stays bare.
- Why is it arabayı and not arabaı?
- Because araba ends in a vowel, and Turkish does not let two vowels meet at the seam. A buffer -y- slides in between the stem and the ending, giving arabayı. The form arabaı, with the vowels colliding, is not Turkish.
- How do I read evi — the house or his house?
- Both are possible: evi is the accusative "the house" and the possessive "his house" at the same time, and the sentence decides. The two separate after a vowel, where arabayı is "the car" as an object and arabası is "his car".