The Languages

Azerbaijani Pronouns

Learning pronouns in Azerbaijani, a Turkic language spoken primarily in Azerbaijan and parts of Iran, is essential for anyone looking to master the language. Pronouns in Azerbaijani vary according to case, number, and sometimes gender, playing a crucial role in sentence construction. This guide covers personal, possessive, demonstrative, reflexive, and interrogative pronouns, providing examples for each to help you understand and use them correctly.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Azerbaijani replace nouns referring to people or things and change form based on their function in the sentence (subject, object, etc.).

Subject Pronouns:

  • Mən (I): “Mən gedirəm.” – I am going.
  • Sən (You – singular, informal): “Sən nə edirsən?” – What are you doing?
  • O (He/She/It): “O gəlir.” – He/She/It is coming.
  • Biz (We): “Biz hazırlaşırıq.” – We are preparing.
  • Siz (You – plural or formal): “Siz nə istəyirsiniz?” – What do you want?
  • Onlar (They): “Onlar oynayırlar.” – They are playing.

Object Pronouns:

Object pronouns are usually used with verbs or prepositions and can be standalone or attached forms.

  • Məni (Me): “Məni gözləyir.” – He/She is waiting for me.
  • Səni (You): “Səni sevirəm.” – I love you.
  • Onu (Him/Her/It): “Onu tapa bilmirəm.” – I can’t find him/her/it.
  • Bizi (Us): “Bizi dəvət etdilər.” – They invited us.
  • Sizi (You – plural or formal): “Sizi görmək istəyirəm.” – I want to see you.
  • Onları (Them): “Onları tanıyıram.” – I know them.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in Azerbaijani indicate ownership and are often suffixed to the noun.

  • Mənim (My): “Mənim kitabım.” – My book.
  • Sənin (Your – singular, informal): “Sənin maşınınız.” – Your car.
  • Onun (His/Her/Its): “Onun evi.” – His/Her/Its house.
  • Bizim (Our): “Bizim məktəbimiz.” – Our school.
  • Sizin (Your – plural or formal): “Sizin işiniz.” – Your job.
  • Onların (Their): “Onların problemi.” – Their problem.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Azerbaijani point out specific nouns and change based on distance (close or far) and number (singular or plural).

  • Bu (This): “Bu nədir?” – What is this?
  • O (That): “O haradadır?” – Where is that?
  • Bunlar (These): “Bunlar kimindir?” – Whose are these?
  • Onlar (Those): “Onlar nədir?” – What are those?

Reflexive Pronouns

Azerbaijani uses reflexive pronouns to indicate that the subject and object of the verb are the same person or thing, often using “öz” for self-reference.

  • Özüm (Myself): “Mən özüm etdim.” – I did it myself.
  • Özün (Yourself): “Sən özün bilirsən.” – You know yourself.
  • Özü (Himself/Herself/Itself): “O özü gəldi.” – He/She/It came by himself/herself/itself.
  • Özümüz (Ourselves): “Biz özümüz qərar verdik.” – We decided ourselves.
  • Özünüz (Yourselves): “Siz özünüz seçdiniz.” – You chose yourselves.
  • Özləri (Themselves): “Onlar özləri qaldılar.” – They stayed themselves.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people, places, or things.

  • Kim? (Who?): “Kim gəldi?” – Who came?
  • Nə? (What?): “Nə oldu?” – What happened?
  • Harada? (Where?): “Harada yaşayırsan?” – Where do you live?
  • Necə? (How?): “Necə edirsiniz?” – How do you do it?
  • Nə qədər? (How much?): “Nə qədər vaxt lazımdır?” – How much time is needed?

Understanding and using these pronouns correctly will greatly enhance your Azerbaijani language skills. Practice forming sentences with each type of pronoun and engage in conversations to apply these concepts actively.