The ablative case in Turkish, ismin -den hâli, might be translated into English as one of from, out of, because of, and so… that…. In some cases, there is no exact translation in English. The counterpart in English depends on the context.
| Last vowel of the word | Voiced Consonants | With eFe PaŞa ÇoK HaSTa |
| a,ı,o,u | -dan | -tan |
| e,i,ö,ü | -den | -ten |
Let’s review its uses. You’ll understand better with examples.
1. Movement from a place
The ablative case is used with verbs that involve movement. If there is a verb expressing movement, the ablative case suffix is attached to the place where the movement started and where the subject left behind.
As an easy example:
Okuldan, meaning “from school,” is the place the subject has left. It is the initial starting point. It is the place where the subject is no longer located. Therefore, the ablative case suffix has been placed to indicate this. It is generally translated into English as “from.”
It is used not only to indicate the point of departure, but also to express the path or route through which the movement takes place.
Turkish Ablative Case Suffix Table
| Suffix | Example |
|---|---|
| -dan | okuldan |
| -den | evden |
| -tan | kitaptan* |
| -ten | marketten |
D/T consonant mutation
2. Material something is made of
The ablative case, -den, is also used to describe the material something is made of.
3. Cause or reason
The ablative case can also be used to express the cause or reason of something.
4. Comparison
The ablative case, -den, is also used when comparing one thing with another.
5. Verbs that take the ablative case
The ablative case is also used with some verbs that correspond to abstract meanings. Sometimes it is not easy to fit these into a clear logical rule, so they often need to be memorized.
Some of the most common ones are:
- nefret etmek — to hate
- korkmak — to be afraid
- hoşlanmak — to like / to enjoy
These verbs are used with the ablative case.
Popular expressions with -dan / -den
- Neden? — Why?
- Nereden? — From where?
- Kimden? — From whom?
- Ondan sonra… — A very common filler expression, similar to “And then…” or “After that…” while trying to gather thoughts.
Şimdiden — Already / In advance
Yeniden — Again / Anew
Eskiden — In the past
Önceden — Beforehand / In the past
Gönülden — Sincerely / Wholeheartedly
Aniden — Suddenly
Common Mistakes: What learners do wrong
Forgetting consonant mutation
Learners may forget that after certain consonants, the suffix becomes -tan or -ten instead of -dan or -den.
Over-translating “from” from English
Not every English “from” becomes -dan/-den in Turkish.
For example, “I’m from Türkiye” may sound more natural as:
Türküm.
or:
Türkiyeliyim.
Türkiye’denim is grammatically correct, but in many contexts, Türküm or Türkiyeliyim sounds more natural.
When saying nationality, Turkish generally uses forms such as Türkiyeli, Mısırlı, and Çinli. Yet to indicate the origin of a thing, you can use the ablative case suffix -dan/-den.
In this example, the ablative form sounds right.
Missing the comparison use
Learners often don’t realize that -dan/-den can mean than.
Bu daha kolay sounds okay, but if you want to emphasize the comparison, the following sounds better:
Turkish Postpositions with the Ablative Case
-DAn önce — before
-DAn sonra — after / later
-dIktan sonra — after with verbs
-madan önce — before with verbs
Related lesson: Time Clauses in Turkish
Turkish Verbs That Take the Ablative Case (-DAn)
| # | Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -DAn almak | to take/buy from |
| 2 | -DAn anlamak | to understand from |
| 3 | -DAn aramak | to look for from/among |
| 4 | -DAn atlamak | to jump from/over |
| 5 | -DAn ayrılmak | to leave/separate from |
| 6 | -DAn ayırmak | to separate from |
| 7 | -DAn bahsetmek | to talk about |
| 8 | -DAn bıkmak | to get fed up with |
| 9 | -DAn çekmek | to pull from |
| 10 | -DAn çıkmak | to go/come out of |
| 11 | -DAn dönmek | to return from |
| 12 | -DAn duymak | to hear from/about |
| 13 | -DAn gelmek | to come from |
| 14 | -DAn geçmek | to pass through/by |
| 15 | -DAn getirmek | to bring from |
| 16 | -DAn gitmek | to go from/by |
| 17 | -DAn göçmek | to migrate from |
| 18 | -DAn göndermek | to send from |
| 19 | -DAn götürmek | to take away from |
| 20 | -DAn hoşlanmak | to like |
| 21 | -DAn inmek | to get off / descend from |
| 22 | -DAn istemek | to want/ask from |
| 23 | -DAn kaçmak | to escape/run away from |
| 24 | -DAn kazanmak | to earn from |
| 25 | -DAn kesmek | to cut from |
| 26 | -DAn kıskanmak | to be jealous of |
| 27 | -DAn kopmak | to break off from |
| 28 | -DAn korkmak | to be afraid of |
| 29 | -DAn kurtulmak | to get rid of / be saved from |
| 30 | -DAn oluşmak | to be made up of |
| 31 | -DAn öğrenmek | to learn from |
| 32 | -DAn öpmek | to kiss from/on |
| 33 | -DAn saklanmak | to hide from |
| 34 | -DAn sıkılmak | to get bored of |
| 35 | -DAn sormak | to ask from |
| 36 | -DAn şikâyet etmek | to complain about |
| 37 | -DAn şüphelenmek | to suspect |
| 38 | -DAn tanımak | to recognize/know from |
| 39 | -DAn tatmak | to taste from |
| 40 | -DAn tutmak | to hold from/by |
| 41 | -DAn utanmak | to be ashamed of |
| 42 | -DAn usanmak | to be tired of / fed up with |
| 43 | -DAn vazgeçmek | to give up |
| 44 | -DAn yapmak | to make from |
| 45 | -DAn yakalamak | to catch from/by |
| 46 | -DAn yürümek | to walk from/through |
| 47 | -DAn nefret etmek | to hate |
| 48 | -DAn indirmek | to download/lower from |
| 49 | -DAn kaldırmak | to lift/remove from |
| 50 | -DAn öpüşmek | to kiss / kiss each other from/on |