Pluralizing nouns in Turkish is very straightforward. It relies entirely on 2-way Vowel Harmony. To make a noun plural, you simply add one of two suffixes to the end of the word: -lar or -ler.
💡 How to Choose the Correct Suffix?
The choice depends on the last vowel present in the word:
Use (-lar): If the last vowel is Heavy (Back): a, ı, o, u.
Use (-ler): If the last vowel is Light (Front): e, i, ö, ü.
Examples:
Sınav (Exam) → Last vowel (a) → Sınavlar
Yıl (Year) → Last vowel (ı) → Yıllar
Deniz (Sea) → Last vowel (i) → Denizler
Bahçe (Garden) → Last vowel (e) → Bahçeler
The Exceptions (İstisnalar)
Turkish is a phonetic language that prioritizes harmony in pronunciation. Because of this, some loanwords (mostly of Arabic, Persian, or French origin) do not follow the standard rule. These words take -ler even though their last vowel is heavy:
Word | Plural (Exception) | Word | Plural (Exception) |
Saat (Hour/Clock) | Saatler | Hayal (Dream/Imagination) | Hayaller |
Kalp (Heart) | Kalpler | Alkol (Alcohol) | Alkoller |
Hal (State/Situation) | Haller | Seyahat (Travel/Trip) | Seyahatler |
Rol (Role) | Roller | Sembol (Symbol) | Semboller |
When NOT to Use the Plural Suffix
There is a golden rule in Turkish: Do not double-count. If a noun is preceded by a number or a word indicating quantity, the noun must remain singular.
Condition | Incorrect (Yanlış) | Correct (Doğru) |
With Numbers | Beş masalar ❌ | Beş masa (Five tables) ✅ |
With Quantifiers | Biraz elmalar ❌ | Biraz elma (Some apples) ✅ |
With "Many/Much" | Çok insanlar ❌ | Çok insan (Many people) ✅ |
With "A few" | Birkaç sınıflar ❌ | Birkaç sınıf (A few classes) ✅ |
Examples in Sentences (Cümleler)
Çocuklar bahçede top oynuyorlar. (The children are playing ball in the garden).
Ahmet kalemlerini çantasına koydu. (Ahmet put his pencils into his bag).
The plural rule is a fundamental building block of Turkish grammar. With practice, choosing between -lar and -ler will become second nature.