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Prerequisites for this Turkish Grammar Lesson
Past tense verbs-dı/di/du/dü or -tı/ti/tu/tü
Asking yes or no questions
-ar/ır/r
12 uses of the aorist
“Kendi” forms
In this article, the following “kendi” forms will be covered:
- kendi evim ‑ “my own house”
- kendim yapıyorum ‑ “I’m doing it myself”
In the intermediate “kendi” forms article, these additional “kendi” forms are covered:
- Using “kendi” as a noun
- Using “kendi kendi” as a noun
- Using “kendi kendine” to mean “all by oneself”
Using “kendi” to describe a noun: “my own home”
Grammar form:
- Kendi (noun) + (personal possession ending)
The simplest of the “kendi” grammar forms is when the “kendi” word is placed immediately before a noun that is possessed by someone. This grammar form is used to emphasize that something is one’s own possession. For example, “kendi evim” means “my own home.” In the table below are example phrases for each of the personal endings. Note that the parts in parentheses can be included or excluded with little effect on meaning.
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Examples with “ev” (“home”)
| (Benim) kendi evim | My own house |
| (Senin) kendi evin | Your own house |
| (Onun) kendi evi | His/her own house |
| (Bizim) kendi evimiz | Our own house |
| (Sizin) kendi eviniz | Your (plural or formal) own house |
| (Onların) kendi ev(ler)i | Their own house |
In sentences with this type of kendi form, the pronoun with the possession ending on it (benim, senin, onun, etc.) can be added to the beginning of the phrase, but it is not necessary and is usually omitted. It is worth noting at this point that if the third person plural pronoun (onların) is omitted, then the phrase “kendi evleri” could mean “his/her own houses” or “their own house” or even “their own houses,” depending on the context.
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Example sentences
Türkiye’de 10 milyon 290 bin kişinin kendi evi var.
In Turkey, 10 million 290 thousand people own their own home.
(Excerpt from news article)
Zenginliği önemli değil. Benim zaten kendi işim var.
His wealth is not important to me. I have my own business already.
(Excerpt from interview)
Kendi arabanız size nasıl çarpar?
How could your own car hit you?
(Title of video)
Using “kendi” to do something yourself
Grammar form:
- Kendi + (personal ending) (verb)
This grammar form uses the word “kendi” to say that the person doing an action is doing an action themselves. It can be used to emphasize that a person is doing an action alone or without anyone’s help. It can also be used to emphasize that a person is doing the action themselves instead of letting someone else do it for them. The personal ending that is placed on “kendi” in this form is the same as in the grammar forms above, but without any additional word ending: kendim, kendin, kendi(si), kendimiz, kendiniz, kendileri. In the table below you will see basic examples for each of the possible personal endings with the “yapmak” verb.
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Examples for “doing (it) oneself”
| (Ben) (onu) kendim yapıyorum. | I am doing it myself. |
| (Sen) (onu) kendin yapıyorsun. | You are doing it yourself. |
| (O) (onu) kendi(si) yapıyor. | He/she is doing it himself/herself. |
| (Biz) (onu) kendimiz yapıyoruz. | We are doing it ourselves. |
| (Siz) (onu) kendiniz yapıyorsunuz. | You are doing it yourselves. |
| (Onlar) (onu) kendi(leri) yapıyorlar. | They are doing it themselves. |
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Example sentences
Komidinimi tamamen kendim boyadım.
I painted the whole side table myself.
(Excerpt from blog post)
Kendi işini kendin bul.
Find your own job (by yourself).
(Title of book)
Bir insana en büyük kötülüğü kendisi mi yapar bir başkası mı?
Is the biggest evil done to a person done themselves, or does another person do it to them?
(Title of forum post)
Hangi canlılar besinlerini kendileri üretir?
What living beings create their (own) nutrients themselves?
(Question on science test)
Kendi yemeklerini kendi yapıyorlar
They make their own food themselves.
(Excerpt from news article)
More “kendi” forms
For more information about “kendi” forms, see the intermediate “kendi” forms article, where these additional forms are covered:
- Using “kendi” as a noun
- Using “kendi kendi” as a noun
- Using “kendi kendine” to mean “all by oneself”
This lesson is a prerequisite for:
Whether this or thatGerek...gerekse
-maktansa
-mak varken
-mak yerine
Kendi as a noun
Kendi kendi as a noun
Kendi kendi with verbs