Language/Turkish/Vocabulary/Ordinal-Numbers
As a Turkish language teacher with 20 years of experience, I want to help you understand how ordinal numbers are used in Turkish. This lesson is part of the "Complete 0 to A1 Turkish Course". In this lesson, I assume that you already know the Turkish alphabet, cardinal numbers, and how to tell time. The lesson will cover the following:
- The definition of ordinal numbers in Turkish
- How to form ordinal numbers in Turkish
What are ordinal numbers?
Ordinal numbers are numbers used to indicate the position or order of something. For example, "first", "second", "third", and so on. In Turkish, ordinal numbers are formed by adding an -inci suffix to the cardinal number.
Let's take a look at some examples:
Turkish | Pronunciation | English |
---|---|---|
birinci | beer-in-dji | First |
ikinci | eek-in-dji | Second |
üçüncü | ewch-oon-dji | Third |
dördüncü | dord-oon-dji | Fourth |
beşinci | besh-in-dji | Fifth |
altıncı | al-tun-dji | Sixth |
yedinci | yay-dun-dji | Seventh |
sekizinci | sek-eez-in-dji | Eighth |
dokuzuncu | doh-koo-zoon-dju | Ninth |
onuncu | oh-nun-dju | Tenth |
Now, let's practice forming ordinal numbers.
Forming Ordinal Numbers
To form an ordinal number in Turkish, add -inci to the end of a cardinal number. Make sure to drop the -i from the end of the cardinal number if it is present. Here are some examples:
- bir (one) becomes birinci (first)
- iki (two) becomes ikinci (second)
- yedi (seven) becomes yedinci (seventh)
- dokuz (nine) becomes dokuzuncu (ninth)
Don't forget that some cardinal numbers have irregular ordinal forms:
- ikinci (second)
- üçüncü (third)
- dördüncü (fourth)
- beşinci (fifth)
- onuncu (tenth)
Practice Exercises
Let's practice forming ordinal numbers with some exercises. Write the ordinal form of the given cardinal numbers.
- on
- dört
- altı
- sekiz
- bir
- üç
- beş
- yed
- dokuz
- yirmi
Answers:
- onuncu (tenth)
- dördüncü (fourth)
- altıncı (sixth)
- sekizinci (eighth)
- birinci (first)
- üçüncü (third)
- beşinci (fifth)
- yedinci (seventh)
- dokuzuncu (ninth)
- yirminci (twentieth)
Conclusion
Congratulations, you have learned how to form ordinal numbers in Turkish! Keep practicing and using them in your daily life. If you want to learn more about Turkish numbers, don't forget to check out the previous lesson about cardinal numbers and the upcoming lesson about time in the "Complete 0 to A1 Turkish Course".
Sources
Videos
Turkish ordinal numbers part 1 -Turkish For Beginners - YouTube