← Azerbaijani from zero to A1
A1
Lesson 4. Stress and voicing: the last syllable, devoicing, final q and k
I can put the stress on the last syllable and not on -dır, hear [p] and [x] at the end of a word and still write b and q — and say “Təşəkkür edirəm” with ə as the a of “cat” and kk as [kg].
Stress on the last syllable
Stress on the last syllable
Azerbaijani writes no stress marks, and the stress almost always falls on the last syllable of the word: ki-tab (book) — stressed kitab.
The ending -lar takes the stress: ki-tab-lar (books) — stressed kitablar.
But -dır doesn't take the stress: in müəl-lim-dir (“(this) is a teacher”) the stress is on lim, not on -dir. The same ending spelled -dur or -dür is unstressed too: to-yuq-dur (“(this) is a chicken”) — stressed yuq. You'll meet more unstressed endings; each lesson will point them out.
The exception is Bakı (Baku): the stress is on the first syllable, Bakı.
English speakers tend to stress the first syllable, or to put the stress on -dır: Azerbaijani does neither.
Common mistakes:
• NOT stress on ki in kitab — the stress is on tab.
• NOT stress on dir in müəllimdir — the stress is on lim.
Where the stress is
The ending -lar / -lər takes the stress; -dır doesn't.
| Kind of word | Word | Syllables | Stressed |
|---|---|---|---|
| no ending | kitab (book) | ki-tab | tab |
| with the ending -lar | kitablar (books) | ki-tab-lar | lar |
| with the ending -dir | müəllimdir ((this) is a teacher) | müəl-lim-dir | lim |
| with the ending -lər | müəllimlər (teachers) | müəl-lim-lər | lər |
| exception | Bakı (Baku) | Ba-kı | Ba |
Lesson notes
Stress on the last syllable
Azerbaijani writes no stress marks, and the stress almost always falls on the last syllable of the word: ki-tab (book) — stressed kitab.
The ending -lar takes the stress: ki-tab-lar (books) — stressed kitablar.
But -dır doesn't take the stress: in müəl-lim-dir (“(this) is a teacher”) the stress is on lim, not on -dir. The same ending spelled -dur or -dür is unstressed too: to-yuq-dur (“(this) is a chicken”) — stressed yuq. You'll meet more unstressed endings; each lesson will point them out.
The exception is Bakı (Baku): the stress is on the first syllable, Bakı.
English speakers tend to stress the first syllable, or to put the stress on -dır: Azerbaijani does neither.
Common mistakes:
• NOT stress on ki in kitab — the stress is on tab.
• NOT stress on dir in müəllimdir — the stress is on lim.
Final voiced consonants, final q and k, kk and nb
At the end of a word of two or more syllables, and after a consonant, the voiced b, c, d are said like p, ç, t: kitab [kitap], ağac (tree) [ağaç], kənd (village) [kənt]. English doesn't do this: listen for it, and still write the letter of the word. Short words keep the voiced sound: ad (name), ac (hungry).
q at the end of an Azerbaijani word sounds [x], the ch of “loch”: otaq (room) [otax]; k sounds a soft [xʲ]: çörək (bread) [çörəxʲ]. The same before a consonant ending: otaqlar (rooms) [otaxlar]. Before a vowel ending, q is written ğ and k is written y: otaq → otağım (my room); the rule comes in module 2.
kk sounds [kg]: səkkiz (eight) [səkgiz]; nb sounds [mb]: şənbə (Saturday) [şəmbə].
In fast speech -dır sounds [dı], and -lar after d, n, r, s, t, z sounds [dar] or [nar]: qızlar (girls) [qızdar]. That's normal, but always write the full form.
Remember: without an Azerbaijani keyboard, e for ə still counts, but a for ə, k for q, and x for q are mistakes.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “kitap” in writing — write kitab (kitap is the Turkish spelling).
• NOT “otax” in writing — write otaq.
• NOT “Tasakkur” — ə is not a.