How many of them: -lar, -ler and the places they never appear
There are two plural endings, and the last vowel of the word chooses between them: a back vowel (a, ı, o, u) — -lar, a front vowel (e, i, ö, ü) — -ler. bavul → bavullar, gömlek → gömlekler. You know this part; what follows is what English has no rule for. For example: “İki bavul ve bir çanta” — Two suitcases and one bag. A rule from the Turkish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
There are two plural endings, and the last vowel of the word chooses between them: a back vowel (a, ı, o, u) — -lar, a front vowel (e, i, ö, ü) — -ler. bavul → bavullar, gömlek → gömlekler. You know this part; what follows is what English has no rule for.
After a numeral there is no plural. üç bavul, iki bilet, on kişi — the number has already said 'many', and repeating it with a tail strikes a Turk the way 'three suitcaseses' strikes you. The same holds after çok (many), birkaç (a few) and kaç (how many): kaç kilo?, çok insan var.
Another place the English hand reaches for '-lar' in vain is talk about a kind in general. 'I like cats' is Kedi severim — literally 'I like the cat'; 'olives grow in Turkey' is Türkiyede zeytin yetişir. The singular here means 'this kind as such', and the plural tail would only spoil it: kedileri severim already means 'I like those particular cats'.
And two habits to finish. -lar can mean 'and company': Ahmetler — Ahmet and his family, teyzemler — my aunt and hers. In politeness it doubles the respect: buyurunuz, hoş geldiniz — the 'you' form already contains that plural. The order of tails stays iron: -lar always comes first, before all the rest — bavul-lar-ım-da, 'in my suitcases'.
Table
| the case | what to do | example |
|---|---|---|
| one thing | no tail | bavul — a suitcase |
| many things | -lar / -ler | bavullar — suitcases |
| after a number | no tail | üç bavul — three suitcases |
| after çok, birkaç, kaç | no tail | çok bavul — many suitcases |
| a kind in general | no tail | Kedi severim — I like cats |
By example
- İki bavul ve bir çantaTwo suitcases and one bag
- Bavullar nerede?Where are the suitcases?
- Balık severimI like fish
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
How many of them: how does it work in Turkish?
There are two plural endings, and the last vowel of the word chooses between them: a back vowel (a, ı, o, u) — -lar, a front vowel (e, i, ö, ü) — -ler. bavul → bavullar, gömlek → gömlekler. You know this part; what follows is what English has no rule for.
What does it look like in an example sentence Turkish?
“İki bavul ve bir çanta” — Two suitcases and one bag. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.