The Turkish plural suffix: -lar and -ler
In Turkish, the plural is made with the suffixes -lar or -ler. The last vowel of the word decides which one comes. But knowing where the plural suffix is not used is just as important as the rule itself: Turkish does not use the plural suffix after numbers and after some words of quantity. In this article I cover the rule, the words that do not follow it and the mistakes learners make most often.
Video for this topic: Plural -lar/-ler
1. The rule: look at the last vowel
The plural suffix has two forms and follows major vowel harmony.
| Last vowel of the word | Suffix | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a, ı, o, u | -lar | kitaplar (books), kadınlar (women), okullar (schools), çocuklar (children) |
| e, i, ö, ü | -ler | evler (houses), şehirler (cities), gözler (eyes), güller (roses) |
The suffix looks at the last vowel of the word, not the first: kalem (pen) has a and e; the last vowel is e, so the plural is kalemler. In the same way: otobüsler (buses), sandalyeler (chairs), arabalar (cars), öğretmenler (teachers).
Because the plural suffix begins with a consonant, the end of the word does not change: kitap, kitaplar; ağaç, ağaçlar (tree, trees). Words ending in a vowel simply take the suffix: araba, arabalar; kedi, kediler (cat, cats).
2. Where the plural suffix is not used
After numbers: the number already shows that there is more than one, so the noun stays singular.
- iki kitap (two books), not iki kitaplar
- beş öğrenci (five students), yüz kişi (a hundred people)
After some words of quantity: after çok (many), birkaç (a few), kaç (how many) and her (every), the noun is usually singular.
- çok insan (many people), birkaç arkadaş (a few friends), her gün (every day)
- Kaç kardeşin var? (How many brothers and sisters do you have?)
On the other hand, after bütün (all) and bazı (some) the noun is plural: bütün öğrenciler (all the students), bazı insanlar (some people).
In general statements: when speaking about something in general, Turkish mostly uses the singular.
- Elma severim. (I like apples, in general.)
- Elmalar masada. (The apples are on the table, specific apples.)
3. Words that do not follow the rule
The last vowel of the words below is a, o or u, yet they take -ler. Most of them come from other languages, so they are learned one by one.
| Word | Plural |
|---|---|
| alkol (alcohol) | alkoller |
| gol (goal) | goller |
| hal (state, condition) | haller |
| harf (letter) | harfler |
| hayal (dream) | hayaller |
| helal (halal) | helaller |
| kalp (heart) | kalpler |
| kefal (mullet) | kefaller |
| materyal (material) | materyaller |
| meşgul (busy) | meşguller |
| metal (metal) | metaller |
| moral (morale) | moraller |
| normal (normal) | normaller |
| petrol (oil) | petroller |
| rol (role) | roller |
| saat (hour, watch) | saatler |
| sembol (symbol) | semboller |
| terminal (terminal) | terminaller |
| tuval (canvas) | tuvaller |
Most words on the list end in l, but not every word ending in l is an exception: çatal, çatallar (fork, forks); masal, masallar (tale, tales).
4. Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| iki kitaplar | iki kitap | No plural suffix after a number. |
| çok insanlar | çok insan | After “çok” the noun is singular. |
| kalemlar | kalemler | The last vowel is e, so -ler. |
| saatlar | saatler | “Saat” is one of the exceptions. |
| kitablar | kitaplar | The end of the word does not change before the plural suffix. |
Test yourself
5 questions
What is the plural of "okul" (school)?
Answer:okullar. The last vowel is u, so -lar.
"Sınıfta üç ___ var." (There are three students in the class.)
Answer:öğrenci. After a number the noun stays singular.
What is the plural of "saat" (hour)?
Answer:saatler. "Saat" is one of the exceptions; it takes -ler.
Which one is correct?
Answer:çok arkadaş. After "çok" the noun is singular.
What is the plural of "kalem" (pen)?
Answer:kalemler. The suffix looks at the last vowel of the word: in kalem it is e.
Next step
The plural suffix is the clearest example of major vowel harmony, and you will meet the same rule in many other suffixes. Read about vowel harmony in section 2 of the grammar guide, and about the vowels themselves in the alphabet article. If you have a question, ask me.
This article is part of the guide Turkish grammar for beginners
Have a question about this lesson? Ask it here
Read next
Comparison in Turkish: daha and en
How do you compare two things in Turkish? Sentences with -dan daha and en, other meanings of the word daha, common mistakes and a short five-question quiz.
The Turkish future tense (-acak): every form with one rule
How is the Turkish future tense formed? Positive, negative and question forms, k becoming ğ, the buffer y, short spoken forms, common mistakes and a quiz.
Ile in Turkish: arkadaşımla, otobüsle, Ali ile Ayşe
How is ile used in Turkish? The meanings "with", "by" and "and", the forms -la, -le and -yla, forms with pronouns like benimle and onunla, mistakes and a quiz.
Bu, şu, o in Turkish: pointing to what is near and far
What is the difference between bu, şu and o in Turkish? Bu kitap and bu bir kitap, forms like bunlar, bunu, burası and burada, politeness and a short quiz.