I can say what I eat and drink and what I love — and tell “this tea” from “tea in general”: çayı or çay.
This tea or tea in general: -ı
This tea or tea in general: -ı
When the ending is needed. If the thing is definite — this one, mine, already mentioned, a person by name, or a city — it takes the accusative ending -ı: English marks this with “the”, Azerbaijani with the ending. If you mean something in general (“I drink tea”, “I read books”), there is no ending, and the word stands right before the verb. After sevmək and xoşlamaq the ending is always needed, even for things in general. See the tables.
Form. After a consonant: -ı, -i, -u or -ü, by the last vowel of the word. After a vowel, a linking n: qəhvəni. As with the “my” ending: k → y, q → ğ — pişiyi, uşağı; su → suyu. After the “my” ending: kitabımı; after the “his / her” ending (-ı, -sı), a linking n again: kitabını, ailəsini.
Whom? — məni, səni, onu, bizi, sizi, onları; “this” — bunu. yoxsa is “or” in a question: Su, yoxsa şirə?
In Azerbaijan people drink tea all day; how it is served comes in the A1 practice module.
Common mistakes:
• ×Çay sevirəm, ×Mənə çay xoşlayır — the one who likes is the subject, and the thing takes the ending: Çayı sevirəm, Çayı xoşlayıram
• ×Bu çay içirəm — “this” needs the ending: Bu çayı içirəm
• ×pişikı — k before a vowel becomes y: pişiyi
• bal is honey, not “ball”
Something in general or a definite object
A definite object takes the ending; something in general has no ending and stands right before the verb.
| What makes the object definite | Something in general — no ending | A definite object — with the ending |
|---|---|---|
| “this” | Kitab oxuyuram. | Bu kitabı oxuyuram. |
| “my” | Telefon axtarıram. | Telefonumu axtarıram. |
| a name; sevmək and xoşlamaq — always with the ending | Çay içirəm. | Gəncəni sevirəm. |
Which ending
The form of the ending is chosen by the last vowel of the word.
| The last vowel / situation | Ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a, ı | -ı | kitab → kitabı; qız → qızı |
| e, ə, i | -i | ev → evi |
| o, u | -u | telefon → telefonu |
| ö, ü | -ü | söz → sözü |
| after a vowel | -nı, -ni, -nu, -nü | ailə → ailəni; qonşu → qonşunu |
| k or q at the end | k → y, q → ğ | pişik → pişiyi; uşaq → uşağı |
| exception | su → suyu | su → suyu |
| after “my” and “his, her” | -ı; after -ı, -sı — -nı | kitabım → kitabımı; kitabı → kitabını |
Whom? What?
Pronouns in the accusative.
| Who | Whom, what |
|---|---|
| mən | məni |
| sən | səni |
| o | onu |
| biz | bizi |
| siz | sizi |
| onlar | onları |
| bu | bunu |
Lesson notes
This tea or tea in general: -ı
When the ending is needed. If the thing is definite — this one, mine, already mentioned, a person by name, or a city — it takes the accusative ending -ı: English marks this with “the”, Azerbaijani with the ending. If you mean something in general (“I drink tea”, “I read books”), there is no ending, and the word stands right before the verb. After sevmək and xoşlamaq the ending is always needed, even for things in general. See the tables.
Form. After a consonant: -ı, -i, -u or -ü, by the last vowel of the word. After a vowel, a linking n: qəhvəni. As with the “my” ending: k → y, q → ğ — pişiyi, uşağı; su → suyu. After the “my” ending: kitabımı; after the “his / her” ending (-ı, -sı), a linking n again: kitabını, ailəsini.
Whom? — məni, səni, onu, bizi, sizi, onları; “this” — bunu. yoxsa is “or” in a question: Su, yoxsa şirə?
In Azerbaijan people drink tea all day; how it is served comes in the A1 practice module.
Common mistakes:
• ×Çay sevirəm, ×Mənə çay xoşlayır — the one who likes is the subject, and the thing takes the ending: Çayı sevirəm, Çayı xoşlayıram
• ×Bu çay içirəm — “this” needs the ending: Bu çayı içirəm
• ×pişikı — k before a vowel becomes y: pişiyi
• bal is honey, not “ball”