Which one should you use?
In everyday spoken Turkish, people more commonly use the phrase anne ve baba (mother and father) instead of the single word ebeveyn.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ebeveyn is a formal and technical term. It is frequently used in official, academic or psychological contexts, such as in legal or official documents.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions, the phrase ana-baba can be used instead of anne ve baba.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular form ebeveyn can be used to refer to a single parent, though it most commonly acts as a collective noun for both parents. To form the plural 'parents', use ebeveynler. The form ebeveynin can mean 'your parent' or 'of your parent'.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ebevejn/. The sounds are comparable to the English words: 'b' as in [b]out, 'v' as in [v]ase, 'j' as in [y]es and 'n' as in [n]ot.
Did you know?
- The word ebeveyn is inherited from the Arabic dual form of ab, which specifically means 'father'.
- In Turkish culture, the concept of 'parents' often extends to include grandparents or elder guardians through the honorary use of kinship terms.
- Because ebeveyn is so clinical, using it to refer to your own parents in a heartfelt or emotional story would sound strangely detached and robotic to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- Biz kötü ebeveyn miyiz?Are we bad parents?This sentence is useful for questioning one's own status as a parent using ebeveyn.Tatoeba #5761039 by duran, translation #5757714 by CM
- Tom ve Mary ebeveyndir.Tom and Mary are parents.This sentence is useful for identifying people as parents using ebeveyn.Tatoeba #6538366 by duran, translation #6531805 by CK
- Ebeveynlerin ne iş yapar?What do your parents do?This sentence is useful for asking about the occupation of parents using ebeveynlerin.Tatoeba #6298564 by duran, translation #6270107 by CK
- Lütfen anne ve babanıza sevgilerimi iletin.Please send my regards to your parents.
- Ebeveynlerinizin izniyle bu derneğe katılabilirsiniz.You can join this association with the permission of your parents.
- 807 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Merve and Burak are talking about a school meeting.
- MerveYarın okulda ebeveyn toplantısı var.There is a parents' meeting at school tomorrow.
- BurakHangi saatte başlayacak?What time will it start?
- MerveHer ebeveyn saat beşte orada olmalı.Every parent must be there at five o'clock.
- BurakTamam, ben de geleceğim.Okay, I will come too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ebeveyn, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Turkish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ebeveyn, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
