Plural in Turkish
Sign up for free to get all information about private lessons and our available group courses (A1, A2, B2, B2, C1, C2)
Sign up for freeThe plural of a noun in Turkish is formed by adding the '-ler' or '-lar' suffxes to the noun. The ending changes according to the vowel harmony rules.
Lesson outline
Hide- 1.Forming plurals
- 2.The indefinite article "bir"
- 3.Exceptions
- 3.1.Numbers as complement
- 3.1.1.Examples
- 3.2.Adjectives
- 3.3.Irregular plurals
- 4.Exercises
- 4.1.Fill in the blank exercise about the plural form
- 4.2.Multiple choice exercise on the plural in Turkish
- 4.3.Fill in the blanks exercise about the irregular plurals
Forming plurals
When the last vowel of the noun is one of the following vowels ( -a ,- ı, -o, -u ), the '-lar' suffix is used and when the last vowel of the noun is one of the vowels (-e,- i, -ö, -ü ) the '-ler' suffix is used.
| Use (-ler, -lar) | the last vowel |
|---|---|
| '-lar' | -a, -ı, -o, -u |
| '-ler' | -e, -i, -ö, -ü |
- Ağaçlar güzel görünüyor. (The trees are looking beautiful.)
- Meyveler çok lezzetli. (The fruits are delicious.)
Have a question?
Take online language lessons with a professional teacher
- Native & verified teachers
- Free trial lesson
- Learning materials included
Hakan Y. 
Tuğçe K.
Su G.
Hatice Ç.
Enes B.
Metin T.
Merve A.
Umit T.
Deniz Y.
Bahar C.
Hakan Y.
Tuğçe K.
Su G.
Hatice Ç.
Enes B.
Metin T.
Merve A.
Umit T.
The indefinite article "bir"
The indefinite article 'bir' has no plural form.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| bir ev (a house) | evler (the houses) |
| bir elma (an apple) | elmalar (the apples) |
Exceptions
1. Numbers as complement
When a number is placed to count an amount of things, the plural suffix is not used.
Examples
- iki kedi -> two cat(s)
- yirmi ekmek-> twenty bread(s)
- on beş gün -> fifteen day(s)
2. Adjectives
When any of the following adjectives are used as complements before the nouns, the noun doesn't receive the plural suffix.
| Adjectives | Examples |
|---|---|
| çok (a lot of, many) | Çok değişiklik yaptık. (We made a lot of changes.) |
| çok fazla (too many) | Çok fazla kağıt var. (There are too many papers.) |
| az (not many) | Az öğretmen katıldı. (Not many teachers join.) |
| kaç (how many) | Kaç kitabın var? (How many books do you have?) |
| bir miktar (some) | Bir miktar elmam var. (I have some apples.) |
3. Irregular plurals
Exception: There are some words which do not follow the vowel harmony rules:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| kalp (heart) | kalpler (hearts) |
| saat (hour/clock) | saatler (hours/clocks) |
| harf (letter) | harfler (letters) |
| rol (role) | roller (roles) |
| alkol (alcohol) | alkoller (alcohols) |
| protokol (protocol) | protokoller (protocols) |
| kontrol (control) | kontroller (controls) |
| kabul (accept) | kabuller (acceptances) |
Exercises
- Fill in the blank exercise about the plural form
- Multiple choice exercise on the plural in Turkish
- Fill in the blanks exercise about the irregular plurals
Fill in the blank exercise about the plural form
Fill in the missing words's plural suffixes according to the vowel harmony rules:
- Use the '-lar' suffix: when the last vowel of the noun is one of the vowels ( -a ,- ı, -o, -u )
- Use the '-ler' suffix: when the last vowel of the noun is one of the vowels (-e,- i, -ö, -ü )
Ağaç çok uzun. -> The trees are very tall.
Yemek güzel mi? -> Are the dishes nice?
İnsan çok mutlu. -> People are very happy.
Halı nerede? -> Where are the carpets?
Bazı şehir çok tarihi. -> Some cities are very historic.
Bu gül güzel kokuyor. -> These roses smell nice.
Bu şarkı çok eski. -> These songs are very old.
Gün çok hızlı geçiyor. -> Days go by so fast.
Fotoğraf çok güzel. -> The photos are very beautiful.
Kız beni görmedi. -> The girls didn't see me.
Multiple choice exercise on the plural in Turkish
Solution
'Where are the pencils?'
Kalemler nerede?
'These questions are very difficult.'
Bu sorular çok zor.
'These doors are very old.'
Bu kapılar çok eski.
'The fruits are fresh.'
Meyveler taze.
'Where are the teachers?'
Öğretmenler nerede?
'The dogs are drinking milk.'
Köpekler su içiyor.
'The dresses are sold.'
Elbiseler satıldı.
'The boys are walking towards home.'
Erkekler eve doğru yürüyor.
'The breads are smelling so good.'
Ekmekler çok güzel kokuyor.
Fill in the blanks exercise about the irregular plurals
Fill in the missing suffixes of the plural form:
Protokol onun için önemli değil. (The protocols are not important for him.)
Renkli kalp çizdim. (I drew colorful hearts.)
Bu harf net değil. (These letters are not clear.)
Bu allkol çok soğuk. (These alcohols are very cold.)
Ailede rol değişti. (The roles in the family changed.)
Kabul artmaya başladı. (The number of hired people started to increase.)
Bu saat ne kadar? (How much are these clocks?)
Kontol iki hafta önce durduruldu. (The controls stopped since last week.)
Exercises
- Fill in the blank exercise about the plural form
- Multiple choice exercise on the plural in Turkish
- Fill in the blanks exercise about the irregular plurals
Fill in the blank exercise about the plural form
Fill in the missing words's plural suffixes according to the vowel harmony rules:
- Use the '-lar' suffix: when the last vowel of the noun is one of the vowels ( -a ,- ı, -o, -u )
- Use the '-ler' suffix: when the last vowel of the noun is one of the vowels (-e,- i, -ö, -ü )
Ağaç çok uzun. -> The trees are very tall.
Yemek güzel mi? -> Are the dishes nice?
İnsan çok mutlu. -> People are very happy.
Halı nerede? -> Where are the carpets?
Bazı şehir çok tarihi. -> Some cities are very historic.
Bu gül güzel kokuyor. -> These roses smell nice.
Bu şarkı çok eski. -> These songs are very old.
Gün çok hızlı geçiyor. -> Days go by so fast.
Fotoğraf çok güzel. -> The photos are very beautiful.
Kız beni görmedi. -> The girls didn't see me.
Multiple choice exercise on the plural in Turkish
Solution
'Where are the pencils?'
Kalemler nerede?
'These questions are very difficult.'
Bu sorular çok zor.
'These doors are very old.'
Bu kapılar çok eski.
'The fruits are fresh.'
Meyveler taze.
'Where are the teachers?'
Öğretmenler nerede?
'The dogs are drinking milk.'
Köpekler su içiyor.
'The dresses are sold.'
Elbiseler satıldı.
'The boys are walking towards home.'
Erkekler eve doğru yürüyor.
'The breads are smelling so good.'
Ekmekler çok güzel kokuyor.
Fill in the blanks exercise about the irregular plurals
Fill in the missing suffixes of the plural form:
Protokol onun için önemli değil. (The protocols are not important for him.)
Renkli kalp çizdim. (I drew colorful hearts.)
Bu harf net değil. (These letters are not clear.)
Bu allkol çok soğuk. (These alcohols are very cold.)
Ailede rol değişti. (The roles in the family changed.)
Kabul artmaya başladı. (The number of hired people started to increase.)
Bu saat ne kadar? (How much are these clocks?)
Kontol iki hafta önce durduruldu. (The controls stopped since last week.)