Plural nouns (-lar, -ler)

Two-Way Vowel Harmony

Turkish is built on "vowel harmony." Suffixes change to match the sounds of the word they attach to, making pronunciation flow smoothly.

The foundational rule is Two-Way Vowel Harmony. Turkish vowels are split into two groups:

• Back vowels: a, ı, o, u
• Front vowels: e, i, ö, ü

When a suffix follows the two-way harmony rule, it uses a if the word's last vowel is a back vowel, and e if it is a front vowel.

Forming Plurals with -lar / -ler

To make a noun plural, attach -lar or -ler based on the last vowel of the noun:

• Last vowel is a, ı, o, u -> add -lar (e.g., kız -> kızlar)
• Last vowel is e, i, ö, ü -> add -ler (e.g., bebek -> bebekler)

One thing to notice in the examples: a predicate noun stays singular after a plural subject — Kızlar öğrenci, literally "girls student".

Examples with -lar (back vowels):

Examples with -ler (front vowels):

Plurals with Bu, Şu, O

When using demonstratives like bu, şu, or o with a plural noun, the demonstrative itself stays singular. Think of it as saying "this girls" instead of "these girls."