Questions & Answers about Onun oğlu öğrenci.
Why is it oğlu instead of oğulu?
The root word for son is oğul. When we add a suffix that starts with a vowel (like the possessive suffix -u), the second vowel in the root word drops out. This is a common rule called vowel loss, which happens with certain two-syllable words in Turkish, especially body parts and family members. So, oğul + -u becomes oğlu.
What is the -u at the end of oğlu?
It is the 3rd-person singular possessive suffix, which means "his," "her," or "its." You are currently learning -(I)m (my) and -(I)n (your). For the 3rd person, the suffix is -(s)ı, -(s)i, -(s)u, or -(s)ü. Because the root oğul ends in a consonant after the vowel drops, it takes -u to follow 4-way vowel harmony.
Is the word onun mandatory here?
No, it is completely optional. The suffix -u on oğlu already tells us whose son it is. You could just say Oğlu öğrenci to mean "His son is a student." We include onun here just to put a little more emphasis on "his."
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
In Turkish, the "to be" verb ("am", "is", "are") is usually added as a personal suffix at the end of a sentence. However, for the 3rd-person singular ("is"), there is a zero suffix, meaning it is usually left completely blank! Just putting öğrenci at the end of the sentence is enough to mean "is a student."
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